Mick Schumacher has joined Mercedes as reserve driver after Ferrari ended its four-year affiliation with him.

Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion and Ferrari legend Michael, was in search of his subsequent transfer in Method One after being minimize by Haas this 12 months following two underwhelming seasons.

On Thursday, shortly after Ferrari confirmed it could be parting methods with the 23-year-old, Mercedes formally introduced him as reserve driver for the 2023 season.

The brand new function will imply Schumacher will conduct simulator duties at Mercedes’ Brackley manufacturing unit and attend races as a possible stand-in for Lewis Hamilton or George Russell ought to both be unable to compete at sure races, whereas he will even be out there for Mercedes accomplice groups Williams and Aston Martin.

It additionally means Schumacher retains one foot within the door for a future in F1. Former Mercedes reserve driver Nyck de Vries earned himself a full-time F1 drive with AlphaTauri in 2023 following his spectacular efficiency for Williams on the Italian Grand Prix in September.

The function continues the Schumacher affiliation with Mercedes, who funded Michael’s early profession. He additionally drove for Mercedes between 2010 and 2012, the primary three seasons since its return to the F1 grid.

Mick was signed to the Ferrari driver programme in 2019, a 12 months after profitable the Method 3 championship. He gained the Method 2 championship in 2020, incomes him an elevation to F1 with Haas in 2021.

Schumacher struggled with an uncompetitive automobile within the first 12 months. However in 2022, he was typically outperformed by his extra skilled teammate, Kevin Magnussen, and solely scored factors at two races. Haas changed him with Nico Hulkenberg for 2022.