Haas' Mick Schumacher makes the short list of Formula 1 drivers who could be a fit at Aston Martin in 2023.
- When Sebastian Vettel was unceremoniously let go by Ferrari in 2020 it was the newly-rebranded Aston Martin team that provided a long-term vision.
- Vettel, however, cut that vision short when he announced that he was retiring at season’s end.
- Replacing Vettel will be no easy task for a team that does not have a clear-cut candidate waiting in the wings.
Aston Martin was not expecting to be entering Formula 1’s summer recess in search of a new lead driver.
When Sebastian Vettel was unceremoniously let go by Ferrari in 2020 it was the newly-rebranded Aston Martin team that provided a long-term vision of a fresh project, of rejuvenating an iconic British entity, with new Formula 1 regulations on the horizon that promised an opportunity for all.
Vettel signed up on a multi-year deal, with Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll obtaining a big name for the nascent project, laying out a four to five-year plan to compete for victories and world titles.
There has been massive investment at Silverstone, with a new factory expected to open in 2023, while recruitment has ramped up since Stroll’s acquisition in mid-2018 of what was then Force India.
So far Stroll’s vision remains just that; last year Aston Martin dropped from fourth to seventh, believing it was hamstrung by the subtle but influential floor regulation tweaks. This year it has failed to get a handle on the new regulations and sits ninth out the 10 teams. After 12 rounds it has 19 points, with Vettel scoring 15.
Fernando Alonso might be the longest of longshots to end up at Aston Martin, but he is technically a free agent at season’s end.
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Vettel’s decision to retire was multi-faceted—family, energy, issues beyond racing—but he accepted he “doesn’t get much pleasure and motivation from being here and just being part of it,” which is what the final three years—2020 at Ferrari, 2021/22 at Aston Martin—have largely resembled.
Aston Martin had been open in wanting to continue with Vettel. As early as the initial flyaway races new team principal Mike Krack said he wanted Vettel to stay, and in the retirement press release owner Stroll outlined that “we made it clear to him that we wanted him to continue with us next year.”
It leaves a Vettel-shaped hole in Aston Martin’s project. There is no driver available who can bring the knowledge of 53 wins, four titles and 15 years of experience in leading teams to Aston Martin. Krack accepted that “the groundwork that Sebastian has done last year, and is still doing this year, is crucial” at a team that has for decades been rooted in the midfield but now has the ambition—and the finances—to fight at the front. It now also has to make a driver decision not just for 2023 but potentially for 2024 and beyond.
Daniel Ricciardo has been a disappointment at McLaren, but the teams says it expects him to be back in 2023.
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Should Stroll desire a big name to be parachuted in alongside his son Lance then there are realistically only two alternatives: Fernando Alonso and Daniel Ricciardo.
Alonso’s Alpine contract is up after 2022 but the 41-year-old is highly motivated to continue, preferably with his current employers.
“All the teams are an option as long as they don’t have two drivers signed,” said Alonso, playfully. “My priority is to be with Alpine. We’ve been working and developing this project together for two years now. We are more and more competitive. Probably my wish is to stay.”
Ricciardo is the only other multiple race winner on the grid facing an uncertain future but both he and McLaren have been adamant that his 2023 contract with the team will be respected. There is also Pierre Gasly, now approaching 100 Grands Prix and a race winner, but he has a 2023 AlphaTauri contract and was firm. “I have a contract and I always go to the end of my contract—Red Bull helped me for 10 years and for me there is nothing to discuss about it,” he said on Thursday.
AlphaTaur’s Pierre Gasly is another current under-contract driver who might be able to benefit from a change of scenery.
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Should Aston Martin want a safe pair of hands then there is the uninspiring yet outsider option of Nico Hulkenberg. He has not competed full-time since 2019 but has been the squad’s reserve driver for the last three years, stepping in at five races when the regular racers caught Covid-19, most recently for Vettel in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia this year. As a potential placeholder, before weighing up options for 2024 when other drivers may become available, he is not an unreasonable option.
There is the option to dive into the other end of the spectrum and pluck for a fresh face who would potentially lead the team-long term. But unlike Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes Aston Martin does not have a young driver program from which it has options to build around. It has a power unit partnership with Mercedes but, unlike Williams, that has not extended to those in the cockpit.
The best of the young talent not on the grid is 2021 F2 champion Oscar Piastri, but Alpine is extremely keen not to lose his services long-term, having funded the last years of his junior career.
The safest pick to replace Vettel at Aston Martin might just be veteran super-sub Nico Hulkenberg.
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Mercedes has Nyck de Vries as reserve driver, but he lacks experience, and his own future within the Silver Arrows’ umbrella is uncertain amid its impending Formula E departure. De Vries was Formula 2 champ in 2019 and deserves a shot.
One driver not yet under contract for 2023 who might make an interesting fit for Aston Martin is Haas’ Mick Schumacher. He is supported by Ferrari, but there has been little hint that it regards him as a viable candidate for the team long-term, having signed up Carlos Sainz to partner Charles Leclerc through 2024.
On its own side, Haas has indicated that it will discuss its driver situation (Kevin Magnussen has a 2023 deal) over the summer break, and likely take a decision in September. Schumacher’s improving performance, his commercial attractiveness, and the absence of standout alternatives means continuation is likely. Haas has spent 18 months getting Schumacher to this stage and is not keen on starting from zero with another driver.
However the Schumacher-Aston Martin rumor exists almost solely through the youngster’s relationship with Vettel. Vettel has been extremely close with Schumacher, whose father Michael was Vettel’s childhood hero, and has adopted an unofficial mentorship role. Vettel says he “thinks very highly of Mick” and that “I do think he’s a great driver, he’s a learner, he keeps learning when others sort of stall or stop making progress, so he has a lot of qualities,” but accepted “I’m obviously not entirely objective because I am very close to him” and that the identity of his successor is not his decision.
It leaves Aston Martin facing a crucial decision for the next segment of its journey—and one it was not expecting to take.
Keyword: 7 Candidates to Replace Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin F1 Team