Mick Schumacher saw his latest attempt at a Formula 1 comeback with Mercedes end prematurely as inclement weather conditions struck the Paul Ricard circuit.
Taking part in a Pirelli Wet tyre outing in his role as reserve driver at Mercedes, Schumacher’s planned programme involved running on an artificially soaked track.
Having missed out on the Williams seat following the British outfit’s decision to drop Logan Sargeant, the test was a rare chance for the German to sample an F1 car.
But the weather gods did not shine on the circuit that last hosted the French Grand Prix in 2022 as torrential downpours soaked the track by more natural means.
Ironically, the track became soaked to the point Mercedes could not run Schumacher’s car, and the decision was taken to abandon the test after only a few laps.
Completing just 29 laps in atrocious conditions, Schumacher’s time of 1:39.720s wound up as his best.
Given the unique nature of tyre testing, meaningful lap times are notoriously difficult to decipher, while the torrential rain made it impossible to understand his pace in the W15.
Scheduled for just one day in the car, George Russell will take over testing duties on Wednesday, and Schumacher will need to wait longer for another bite at an outing..
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