Natalie Pinkham thinks one team are trying to get their test driver on the F1 grid now

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Journalist Natalie Pinkham believes Mercedes are trying to get test driver Mick Schumacher back on the grid next season.

Speaking to Tom Clarkson on the F1 Nation podcast, Pinkham spoke about the young German driver.

After two seasons with Haas F1, Mick Schumacher lost his seat going into the 2023 season.

Guenther Steiner instead went with the more experienced Nico Hulkenberg to partner Kevin Magnussen.

Schumacher was then picked up by the Mercedes F1 team as their test driver this year.

The 24-year-old is the team’s backup to Lewis Hamilton and George Russell although he hasn’t seen much track time yet.

Pinkham believes that the noises coming out of Mercedes suggest that they want to get Schumacher back on the grid next season.

He’s not driving elsewhere right now but is also a reserve driver for McLaren alongside Alex Palou.

Schumacher won’t want to be out of action for too long or he’ll struggle to find another top-level drive.

Mercedes want Schumacher back on the grid next season

Talking about the German team’s testing schedule, Clarkson said: “On the topic of Mercedes, they have actually along with Ferrari been busy testing in Barcelona since the last race, so they’ve had a little bit more of an opportunity to put that new package through its paces.

“It was actually a Pirelli test and Mick Schumacher got his first run in the car as well, which was good to see.

“I thought it was interesting too in Barcelona that Toto Wolff and Lewis [Hamilton] both praised the job that Mick Schumacher’s been doing on the simulator this year.

“I think he was there on Friday night in Spain on the simulator until midnight and then got up at 5am to fly to the track. So, Mick’s obviously putting in the hard yards and obviously being very impressive.”

Natalie Pinkham replied: “I’ve heard a lot of positive feedback on Mick, I wonder if this is all part of a ploy to get him back on the grid for next year.

“Where he would go isn’t entirely clear, but I know that he’s very likeable and that he’s been working very hard. So, it’s good to hear”

Schumacher failed to score a point in his first season with Haas, before picking up 12 points last year.

Kevin Magnussen doubled his points tally after replacing Nikita Mazepin and showed the team what they were missing out on.

As Pinkham said, it’s hard to see where Schumacher might enter the grid next season.

Mercedes and McLaren would likely look elsewhere if they thought about replacing any of their current drivers.

There’s only one driver who’s reportedly under pressure for his place on the grid right now.