Mick Schumacher’s future in F1 remains in doubt as Haas team principal Guenther Steiner doesn’t give any positive response for the 2023 season.
There have been doubts about the future of Mick Schumacher in Formula 1. The 23-year-old driver is rumored to leave F1 after this season.
Mick Schumacher this season has gone through ups and downs. He has definitely performed better than last season. However, has made mistakes and even huge crashes that have cost Haas millions.
Moreover, the German is outscored by his teammate too. The team after such mistakes is not expected to extend the contract when there are so many young drivers waiting for an F1 seat.
Steiner on Mick Schumacher’s future
The ‘silly season’ has made the drivers market a complete mess. With Alpine-Piastri-McLaren drama not helping either, Steiner has clarified that the mess in drivers market won’t affect their decision on Mick Schumacher.
Steiner said:
“I don’t really know what Mick has done, and we have not spoken about a drive for next year with Mick. He hasn’t spoken to us and we haven’t spoken to him – we want to see what’s happening.”
“This Aston Martin thing happened very quickly and so nobody had time to really think about it, but there were rumours he [Schumacher] could replace Vettel, but that went away pretty quick,”
added Steiner.
“We didn’t look at what other people were doing.”
Schumacher’s strong ties with Ferrari can also be a factor in the contract talks. Steiner has indicated earlier that any contract talks would take place alongside the Scuderia.
Who takes the second Haas seat?
Kevin Magnussen has a multi-year contract and is definitely performing well. Haas is not bound to put a Ferrari’ called driver in the driving seat in 2023. So, they don’t need to sign Mick Schumacher or any other Ferrari academy driver next year. This really expands the options for the team.
There are many picks in the F1 driver market. The first one being, a surprise comeback, Antonio Giovinazzi could see a return to the sport. The 28-year-old left the sport alongside Kimi last season. However, as Haas’s reserve driver and experience of driving with Alfa Romeo, the Italian looks like an attractive option.
Nico Hulkenberg emerges as the second contender for the seat. The substitute king of Formula 1 would be loved to see as a full-time driver on the grid. However, as far as next year is concerned, you can literally link the German with every other team on the grid.
Steiner can also go for some rookie talents in Formula 2. Theo Pourchaire and Felipe Drugovich are some incredible talents and it would be a shame if they go unnoticed.
As of now, it looks like if Mick Schumacher wants to save his seat, he will need to give a string of strong performances to satisfy Steiner. Otherwise, the 7-time world Champion’s son might have no F1 seat the next season.
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