Former Formula 1 driver Heinz-Harald Frentzen has expressed his desire to reignite Germany's interest and viewership in F1 by attempting to convince Haas team principal Guenther Steiner to re-sign his former driver Mick Schumacher.
Frentzen believes that the presence of talented German drivers is crucial in capturing the attention and support of German fans and that the son of legendary German driver Michael Schumacher, pairing up with Nico Hulkenberg could be the perfect touch.
Responding to Alpine F3 driver Sophia Floersch, who shared an article discussing the lack of interest in F1 in Germany, Frentzen acknowledged that the absence of prominent German drivers has contributed to the declining enthusiasm among fans.
He reminisced about his own time in the sport, when Michael Schumacher's success and his own achievements attracted German fans to F1.
"Hülkenberg alone cannot single-handedly maintain the German spirit," said Frentzen on Twitter.
"In my time, Michael Schumacher had already been there for quite a while, winning everything. Then I came to his aid, followed by Ralf and Nick."
In what can only be assumed as tongue-in-cheek, Frentzen then offered his help to Haas F1 Team, only asking for them to sign Mick Schumacher in return.
"Hülki, let me talk to Steiner so that I can help him make your car one second faster," wrote the German.
"If I can, I'll help him with that. And I'll try to convince him to bring back Mick."
Das liegt auch daran das Hülkenberg alleine es nicht schafft ganz alleine die deutsche Stimmung hoch zu halten. Zu meiner Zeit war Michael Schumacher schon einige Zeit da und dazu hat er alles abgeräumt und dann kam ich ihm zu Hilfe und dann Ralf und Nick. Hülki, lass mich mit…
— Heinz Harald Frentzen (@frentzen_hh) July 18, 2023
Frentzen believes that by bringing back Schumacher, a new generation of German drivers and fans can reignite the German F1 spirit.
"Every country has its F1 heroes who captivate the fans," he said.
"Germany had left the fans without heroes for a long time... Now we need the new generation from a German perspective."
While it's highly unlikely that Steiner will be looking to bring Schumacher back into the fold, the team boss has admitted that Schumacher is in the "best position" to find a future race seat.