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Mick Schumacher could have been the hero that Germany needs to reignite the interest in F1. That’s the view of the AlphaTauri team boss. Spectatorship and interest in F1 in the country has been on the decline for a while now. Because of this, the country even struggled to find broadcasters for the free-to-air races that Sky Germany does not show.
AlphaTauri team boss Franz Tost feels that the interest in F1 is waning and Mick Schumacher could have been the driver to prevent that from happening. Talking to SPORT1, Tost revealed that he would have loved to sign Mick Schumacher in AlphaTauri, not because of the name but because he’s won both F2 and F3 championships.
Unfortunately, that didn’t happen as Mick Schumacher will not be on the grid next season. Tost said:
“He could have become the new hero, but unfortunately he’s out of the premier class for now. What a shame. I would have liked to have seen him at AlphaTauri, not because of the name, but because I believe in his talent and abilities. Because you don’t just win the Formula 3 and Formula 2 championships. But unfortunately it didn’t work out in the end.”
Mick Schumacher will be a Mercedes reserve driver next season but Tost cautioned that the driver needed to be in the eye of the general public and perform if he had to be successful in F1. He said:
“You’re only really noticed by the general public if you’re constantly in focus. And you only do that as an operational driver. That Mick finds his way back into the starting field as quickly as possible. It’s not impossible, but it’s not easy either. Mick’s career determines the interest in Germany. A Nico Hulkenberg cannot do it alone”
Earlier people wanted to see Mick Schumacher’s dad in Germany
Touching upon the point of people needing heroes to follow the sport, Tost talked about how everyone was a Michael Schumacher fan when he was winning and that helped grow the sport. According to Tost, for F1 to be popular again in Germany, a driver needs to be successful, a team like Mercedes’ success won’t be enough. He said:
“One thing is certain: people need heroes, and they need them made of flesh and blood, not metal. Back then, you wanted to see Michael Schumacher win and not the engine or the Mercedes car. Only heroes trigger a boom. As Michael Schumacher showed.”
He added:
“The second example is Boris Becker. Before him, interest in tennis was more reserved for the affluent citizens. That changed abruptly with the success of Boris and Steffi Graf. Suddenly all the kids wanted to play tennis.”
It will be interesting to see what the future holds for Mick Schumacher as he tries to find a way into the sport.
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