Ralf Schumacher is not so sure that Racing Point will oust Sergio Perez at the end of 2020.
It is strongly expected that Ferrari refugee Sebastian Vettel will sign up with the Lawrence Stroll-owned team - set to become Aston Martin - for 2021.
Most believe Mexican Perez will have to make way, thanks to a break clause in his contract that must be triggered before July 31 costing the team a seven-digit figure.
But former F1 driver Schumacher is not so sure.
"Even a father cannot hold on to his son if he is not good enough," he told Sky Deutschland.
Ralf is referring to Lance Stroll, who is currently Perez’s teammate.
"We also cannot forget that Perez has a decent amount of sponsorship - a very good sponsor," said the German. "So it would be a difficult decision."
Nonetheless, most experts highly doubt that Stroll would oust his own son, having spent millions getting him into Formula 1 and finally at the wheel of a competitive car.
An alternative for either Stroll or Perez for 2021 might be Alfa Romeo, according to Blick newspaper’s veteran F1 correspondent Roger Benoit.
But Alfa Romeo boss Frederic Vasseur said: "The drivers will only become a topic for us in October."