German racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck has advised Mick Schumacher to turn down a potential offer to join Audi-owned Sauber for the 2025 Formula 1 season, citing a lack of stability and infrastructure that could hinder Schumacher's progress.
Audi, which has taken over the Sauber F1 team with eyes on a full works project by 2026, has encountered challenges from team structure issues to parent company Volkswagen's severe financial crisis, now involving factory closures, job cuts, and a 10% pay reduction.
The German manufacturer, however, continues to expand its personnel for the Audi-Sauber project. Alongside recent high-profile hires like team chief Mattia Binotto and Red Bull's Jonathan Wheatley, Audi has added Giampaolo Dall'Ara to lead engineering and ex-Ferrari strategist Inaki Rueda. These changes demoted long-serving Sauber figure Beat Zehnder to a reduced role. Despite these moves, Stuck believes the team environment may still be lacking for Schumacher.
"For me, Mick would be in the wrong place at Audi," Stuck told Eurosport, citing the dangers of joining an outfit that may not yet have the standards needed to support Schumacher's F1 return. Stuck, a two-time Le Mans winner, believes Schumacher is at risk of repeating his difficult experience at Haas under Gunther Steiner. "He has already been through this story once," Stuck said, arguing that "Steiner destroyed a young man who was still gaining his first experiences through stupidity and a lack of empathy." Stuck further emphasized, "Steiner has harmed Schumacher for his entire life."
Stuck's reservations about Audi are compounded by its operational challenges. "He simply will not find the same standards there that he would find at other teams," he continued, pointing to the development needed across the board. "In the first year he wouldn't have a chance there," added Stuck, who competed in over 70 grands prix in the 70s, warning that Audi-Sauber's current setup is the "wrong path" for Schumacher's F1 return.
