Mick Schumacher insists his Formula 1 "dream" is still alive, even as he embraces a new chapter focused entirely on racing.
The 25-year-old has been replaced as Mercedes' F1 reserve driver for 2025, with Valtteri Bottas taking over the role. However, Schumacher admits he's relieved to step away from the demanding schedule.
"It was obviously a very tough year," Schumacher said. "We had quite a lot of back-to-back weekends where we went from one race to the next.
"Even though you could say that the reserve driver doesn't do that much, they are still long days. I was pretty tired by the end of the year."
Instead of continuing in a backup role, Schumacher will fully commit to his new racing program with Alpine in the World Endurance Championship (WEC).
"It's more relaxed in that sense," he said. "I can simply take the time to drive in the simulator more and support Alpine more in the development of the car."
Despite shifting gears in his career, Schumacher insists that he hasn't given up on returning to F1.
"My dream is my dream, and it lives on when I have time to think about it," he said.
"But when I'm in the car or in the whole WEC environment, my thoughts are 100 percent there."
Meanwhile, Bottas' 2024 Sauber teammate Guanyu Zhou has secured a new opportunity in Formula 1. The Chinese driver has been signed as Ferrari's joint reserve driver alongside Antonio Giovinazzi for 2025.
