“If Schumacher joins Audi, he may relive his nightmare at Haas.”
German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck believes Mick Schumacher should turn down the opportunity to return to Formula 1 with Audi-owned Sauber next year.
Audi’s acquisition of Sauber and its 2026 F1 project have faced challenges, with top drivers like Carlos Sainz declining offers to join the team in 2025, and parent company Volkswagen struggling with a financial crisis. However, the brand continues to bring in big names, including new Audi F1 chief Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley from Red Bull.
Recent additions also include new engineering head Giampaolo Dall’Ara and former Ferrari strategy chief Inaki Rueda. On the driver side, Nico Hulkenberg has agreed to join the team for 2025 and beyond. Valtteri Bottas and rookie Gabriel Bortoleto are thought to be contenders to partner with the German driver. Yet, after a prolonged delay in Sauber signing Hulkenberg’s teammate, another potential candidate, Mick Schumacher, is still waiting in the wings.
The 25-year-old driver has been a reserve for Mercedes since 2022 and has also taken a WEC racing seat with Alpine since 2023. Racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck advises Schumacher to turn down Audi-Sauber if a solid offer from elsewhere arises.
Speaking to Eurosport, 73-year-old Stuck says, “In my view, Mick would be in the wrong place at Audi.”
Stuck believes that Schumacher joining a struggling team like Sauber in 2025 would be a repeat of the nightmare he experienced under Gunther Steiner’s management at Haas. “He’s already been through this story once,” he adds.
Referring to Steiner’s past tenure at Haas, Stuck accuses him of “destroying a young man with inexperience through stupidity and lack of empathy.” He says, “This is unacceptable. Steiner has caused Schumacher lasting harm.”
