Mercedes make MAJOR change to race weekend plan with new Mick Schumacher role

Mercedes

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Mercedes make MAJOR change to race weekend plan with new Schumacher role

The German is set to get stuck as Toto Wolff decides to make a change

Joe Ellis

Saturday 22 April 2023 09:57

Mercedes are set to shake up their race weekend plans as the Formula 1 circus rolls into Europe with the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The Silver Arrows have been rather stagnant compared to last year which has seen Aston Martin surge ahead of them in the constructors' standings.

Toto Wolff is looking to extract every last thousandth of a second to try and overcome their customer team and that will include a new role for Mick Schumacher.

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The German, who lost his race seat at Haas at the end of 2022, is currently a reserve driver for Mercedes and has been on hand at the track at every race this season to cover for Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

Mick Schumacher is often seen on Toto Wolff's shoulder during a race

Factory work

The long-haul start to the season in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Australia made travel from the factory to the track impossible in good time.

But F1 returns to a European theme in Azerbaijan and will stay there for the majority of the spring barring a brief stop in Miami.

As a result, Schumacher will be staying at the team's Brackley facility and doing simulator work on a Friday before jetting out overnight to join the team as a reserve on Saturdays.

With limited practice in Azerbaijan due to the sprint race, Schumacher's role become vital to allow Mercedes to test multiple setups and programmes.