The Schumacher name might return to F1 with Audi’s 2026 arrival. The German manufacturer will enter the king class of motorsports when the FIA announces the new regulations. And thus, it needs a solid pair of racers to represent Audi in the competition against the top racing teams in the world. While there have been suggestions regarding Carlos Sainz and some other racers, Mick Schumacher’s name is the latest one that has cropped up. During the ‘21 and ’22 F1 seasons, the German prodigy, who is seven-time World Champion Michael Schumacher’s son, used to race for Haas.

With a huge victory in the 2019 Formula 2 Championships, Mick stepped up and got his super license to race for Haas in his F1 debut season. However, he could not impress his boss at the American outfit much after getting only 12 points over two years. In the end, Guenther Steiner decided to axe the former Ferrari junior to take up Nico Hulkenberg in his place. And now, Helmut Marko, who leads Red Bull’s junior program, has claimed that Steiner had meted out mistreatment to Michael’s son.

After exiting Haas, Mick Schumacher could not find himself a seat at any of the F1 teams. So, he chose a reserve role at Mercedes. And at the start of this year, he announced he will also be driving for Alpine at the World Endurance Championship (WEC). This is now giving rise to some gossip that the 25-year-old may come back to Formula 1 substituting Esteban Ocon, thanks to his connections with the French squad. However, Helmut Marko feels that Mick’s return will depend on Audi entering the sport.

Speaking of Mick Schumacher’s chances of making it back into F1, Helmut Marko said to Sport1, “At Haas, he was not treated fairly by Netflix superstar Günther Steiner. That’s a fact. Once you’re out, it’s difficult. But behind the scenes, you only hear good things about him. Toto Wolff praises him to the skies. I think Alpine and Audi are seriously considering him. I would be happy for him, because he would deserve it.” However, the octagenarian also claimed there was a reason (or a couple of reasons) for Mick to get the boot from F1 too quickly.

Helmut Marko believes Mick Schumacher’s family legacy is a “handicap”

Many of the racers in Formula 1 hail from influential racing families like Max Verstappen. And Mick Schumacher happens to come from Germany’s most famous racing family. So, he must match his father’s legendary status. But when he entered Formula 1, the viewers could not separate him from his father’s image, and this is why he left them disappointed, as per Helmut Marko. So, when the Austrian proceeded to explain why Mick had to leave Haas, he said, “He is one of the politest and nicest people in the entire paddock, which is more of a disadvantage for him. He also has the handicap of a big name.”

Well, this might make you question why Red Bull never signed the former F3 and F2 Champion, even though Marko favors him. The Graz native addressed this question and said, “As far as we [Red Bull] are concerned: there were no sporting reasons why we never got together. He was a Ferrari junior at the time, then he joined the Mercedes squad. So he wasn’t even on the market.” Given Michael Schumacher’s long relationship with Ferrari, Mick chose the Scuderia as his guide even before considering Red Bull. And maybe this is the reason why he never found a seat on the current World Championship-winning squad.

Considering the future possibilities of Mick Schumacher, there is a chance of him again racing in F1. During the British GP races at Silverstone, he took part in the Alpine test along with family friend Jack Doohan. Now, some people argue that the Enstone outfit aimed at having a clash between Schumacher Jr. and Doohan in order to choose between either of them for Esteban Ocon’s seat. So, please share your views in the comments below if you think Mick deserves the seat more than any other competitor.