Yahoo Autos Gene Haas Says Mick Schumacher Can Still Save His F1 Ride
Just two seats remain open on the 2023 Formula 1 grid. One, a seat at Williams, is likely to go to either American Formula 2 prospect Logan Sargeant or one of a number of veteran drivers. The other, the second seat at Haas, seems to be down to either Haas's current driver Mick Schumacher or veteran Nico Hulkenberg. While it seemed for the past month that Hulkenberg was the favorite for the seat, team owner Gene Haas still sees a way Schumacher can keep his ride for next season.
As Haas told the Associated Press at a NASCAR race this weekend, Schumacher's status with the team next season is now dependent on his ability to score points over the year's remaining races. As Haas bluntly phrases it, "If he wants to stay with us, he’s got to show us that he can score some more points. That’s what we are waiting for.”
That's a big ask of Schumacher, who has scored points just twice in his nearly two-season career at the struggling Haas F1 team. While he outperformed teammate Kevin Magnussen in this season's British and Austrian grands prix, Magnussen scored points in both races and also scored in three of the season's first four rounds. While Schumacher has just 12 points this season, the veteran Magnussen has 22.
Neither driver has scored a point since early July. In fact, neither has finished better than 12th. That's good news for Hulkenberg, who has not raced full time in Formula 1 since 2019 and has spent the past three seasons filling in for injured drivers while making clear to owners that he is available for any and all full-season openings. If he were to return to the grid with Haas, he would bring the team years of experience in the sport's mid-field dating all the way back to a 2010 season in what was then a Cosworth-powered Williams.
Schumacher is not expected to be in the picture for the open seat at Williams in 2023. Without exceptional results in these closing races, the 2020 Formula 2 champion and former Ferrari academy driver may be staring down an abrupt end to his Formula 1 career.
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