Mick Schumacher will leave Haas at the end of the season – with his hopes of finding a seat at another team for 2023 looking slim…
The German joined Haas for 2021 to race alongside Nikita Mazepin, Schumacher having won the F2 championship the previous year.
This year, alongside Kevin Magnussen, Schumacher scored his first points at Silverstone with eighth, following that up with sixth at the following race in Austria.
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However, he has failed to score since then, and has contributed less than a third of Haas’s total points tally – with the American squad eighth in the constructors’ championship. He has also had several crashes which have proved to be costly.
As a result, Haas have opted not to keep the German for a third season.
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“I would like to thank Mick Schumacher for his contribution to the team over the past couple of years,” said Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner.
“Mick’s pedigree in the junior categories was well known and he has continued to grow and develop as a driver in his time with Haas F1 Team – culminating in his first Formula 1 points-scoring successes earlier this season.
“While choosing to go in separate directions for the future, the entire team wishes Mick well for the next steps in his career path and beyond.”
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Williams have the only remaining seat on the grid for 2023, but that will go to their academy driver Logan Sargeant providing he finishes in the top six in the standings in F2. The American is currently third and in good shape to meet the criteria.
The conclusion to that championship takes place on Sunday in Abu Dhabi, ahead of F1’s final Grand Prix of the season.
Haas later confirmed that Schumacher’s replacement would be former Force India and Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg.
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In a statement on social media, meanwhile, Schumacher admitted his disappointment that his time with Haas was coming to an end, while adding that he was confident that his talent merited a seat on the F1 grid.
“This is going to be my last race with Haas F1 Team. I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed about the decision not to renew our contract,” he wrote. “Nevertheless, I would like to thank both Haas F1 and Ferrari for giving me this opportunity. Those years together have helped me to mature both technically and personally. And especially when things got difficult, I realised how much I love this sport.
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“It was at times bumpy but I steadily improved, learned a lot and now know for sure that I deserve a place in Formula 1. The subject is anything but closed for me. Setbacks only make you stronger.
“My fire burns for Formula 1 and I will fight hard to return to the starting grid.”
