Binotto confirms that the COO of Audi F1 has met and spoken to a zero-win driver

Liam Lawson is in a shootout alongside Tsunoda, which could lead to a seat at Red Bull or at RB for the next term in the final six rounds of 2024. But plenty of attention remains on Sauber, whose Audi in 2026 makes a factory team. and where Valtteri Bottas and Zhou Guanyu are out of contract.

Audi F1 COO Mattia Binotto confirms talks with Mick Schumacher over Sauber’s 2025 seat

If any of the current Sauber drivers remain at Hinwil, it is likely that Audi will retain Bottas in favor of Zhou before Nico Hulkenberg joins from Haas next season. But speaking to Corriere della Sera, Binotto confirmed that he and Mick Schumacher have discussed the seat.

Binotto says Audi is ‘absolutely’ considering signing Schumacher for the second Sauber drive alongside Hulkenberg. Although the 25-year-old has not raced in Formula 1 since Hulkenberg joined Haas after the 2022 season, Binotto knows what the German has to offer the team.

READ MORE: Who is F1 reserve and Alpine WEC star Mick Schumacher? Everything to know

Schumacher enjoyed two Formula 1 seasons for Haas after winning the 2020 Formula 2 title with PREMA as part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. It was during his time at the FDA that Binotto met Schumacher and believes he is now worth considering Audi for Sauber.

“We can afford the luxury of not rushing as all the other teams have set their positions,” Binotto said. “Two essential aspects: on the one hand, experience to map out the growth path. On the other hand, a young, talented driver who can guide us on the road to the top.

“Certainly (Schumacher is an option), we are evaluating it. I met him and talked to him. I have known him for a long time, because I was part of the Ferrari Driver Academy. I know his strengths and weaknesses. He is one of the names we have in mind.”

Mick Schumacher failed to replicate his F2 title-winning form in Formula 1

Ferrari signed Schumacher with the FDA in 2019 after the German won the 2018 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. After an apprenticeship in Formula 2 at PREMA, his consistency was key to Schumacher sealing the 2020 title, despite winning just two of the 24 races.

But life in Formula 1 with Haas has rarely been so fruitful with just two points-scoring finishes in 44 Grand Prix entries. Schumacher achieved his first points in Formula 1 with P8 in the 2022 British Grand Prix and immediately followed the result with P6 in the Austrian Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Sauber and Audi’s F1 COO Mattia Binotto

Major crashes also foiled Schumacher’s second season in Formula 1 with major shunts at the 2022 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix and the Monaco Grand Prix. He even split Haas’s VF-22 in two with Schumacher’s qualifying crash in the Saudi Arabian GP and again in Monte Carlo.

But despite not coming close to a Grand Prix victory, podium finish or pole position, Binotto believes Schumacher is worth what Audi is considering for Sauber. Hiring the son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher on a long-term contract would also ensure that Audi has two German drivers.

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