Only one cockpit in Formula 1 is vacant for the coming season. It's that of Mick Schumacher, who would like to keep it himself. But even if his shape curve is pointing upwards, there are no convincing arguments. His racing team Haas apparently wants to make a decision these days.
Mick Schumacher has a problem. And it's just not getting smaller, it's getting bigger. Week to week, race to race, interview to interview. "If he wants to stay with us, he has to show us that he is capable of scoring regularly," said Gene Haas. That's what Gene Haas, owner of the Haas Formula 1 team, said some time ago about Mick Schumacher. Clear case: The 23-year-old missed this goal this season. That can already be stated two races before the end.
He hasn't had any points for nine weeks of racing, he's only collected twelve points in the entire season so far and is only 16th in the drivers' standings. His teammate Kevin Magnussen is three places ahead of him with 24 points. However, the duel between the two is close. After the race at Silverstone in early July, both drivers scored eight points each. But Magnussen finished in the points in two races, Schumacher in only one. "You have to be realistic: Mick has been the better driver [at Haas] since Silverstone. He can get more out of the car," said Ralf Schumacher on Sky, looking at his nephew.
But that is actually of secondary importance, because the Dane is only a marginal figure in this story, for him it will continue at Haas in the coming year, his contract runs for several seasons. There is only a lot of speculation about who will be allowed to fight with him for the team ranking. It will be a German, that much is now certain. Only Schumacher or Nico Hülkenberg, who is currently the reserve driver for Aston Martin - and who replaced Sebastian Vettel, who was infected with the corona virus, there at the beginning of the season, but has not been used for a long time, are still eligible. And so the name Schumacher could disappear from Formula 1. At least for now.
Because Mick Schumacher and Haas are not the perfect dream team, they rub against each other, which has a stronger effect on the outside than togetherness. The fact that Schumacher was again unable to deliver a good result at the Mexican Grand Prix last weekend, but only finished 16th, is something that Schumacher blames on his car. "Unfortunately, there was no pace today. You could see that it was the case with both cars," he said after the race, in which Magnussen finished one place behind him. The 23-year-old said on Sky that he noticed in the first round that nothing was going to work. "Even if we had had a good start, we would have been passed down."
Not a good picture that he draws from his racing team. It is also true that he had built a much better starting position in the qualification himself. His fastest lap - sixth place - was canceled because he exceeded the track limit. "If we could have done that, we would probably have gotten into Q2 comfortably, maybe even into Q3. Then it would look different again," he said on Sky.
He therefore clung to the "good qualifying lap" as a positive experience. And emphasized that he does not believe that the Mexico race will have much influence on the contract issue. The question that has been discussed publicly for months. The question of whether Schumacher will continue to be in Formula 1. He can't build much more on the positive experience. With the race in Brazil in two weeks and the season finale in Abu Dhabi right after that, there's not much left of the season.
According to team boss Günther Steiner, it should then be clear who will drive for Haas alongside Magnussen in 2023. That person should then drive the post-season tests. That means: The decision will be made at the very latest at the race on November 13th in Brazil. There are many indications that it could be resolved even in these days. Because Steiner had already announced at the race in the USA that he did not want to make a decision in the middle of a "back-to-back" race, but that there should be at least a week's break in between. Now is the last time on the racing calendar - the Grands Prix in Brazil and Abu Dhabi follow one another without a weekend break.
There are currently many indications of Hulkenberg. He recently said on Servus TV: "The talks are still going on and I'm relatively optimistic." However, there is nothing concrete yet and he does not make the decision. But just delaying Schumacher shows clearly that Haas is not very convinced of their current driver.
Ex-racer and Sky expert Timo Glock said he believes that "Haas simply has different ideas" and therefore wants to hire a new driver. The fact that Haas wants to make the decision between two Germans makes the question more explosive. So it's all about: young or old? Schumacher is just 23 years young, Hülkenberg is already 35 years old. One is driving his second season, the other can already look back on 181 Grands Prix, but has recently only been a reserve driver. What sets him apart is that he is there when he is needed. However, his two appearances at the beginning of the season for Vettel did not bring Aston Martin any points either.
Ralf Schumacher has already sided with his nephew: "Hülkenberg is close to the end of his career. With Mick, you can see from his performance and improvements this year how much potential is still to be expected." But it is also a fact: Schumacher missed the top ten in 18 of 20 races. Not always self-inflicted, a few times the racing team was also decisively involved: strategic mistakes, Magnussen's apparent preference, recently the car's lack of performance.
Schumacher still believes in his future at Haas: "I'm sure things will look very different again in Brazil." But it is possible that the verdict on his personal future has already been made and that his race in Brazil no longer plays a role for Haas.
As controversial as the coming season is, the experts agree: Mick Schumacher would return to Formula 1 sometime later, despite a possible break in 2023. That is when Audi joins Sauber. "The way I see it, his future lies with Audi. They want him and there have already been talks," insider Ralf Bach said. However, there is still a lot of time until then, as the company name Audi will not appear in Formula 1 until 2026. Too much time to bridge, Schumacher urgently needs the racing experience, such a long break would mean a huge deficit. And so there are rumors that he could be driving for Sauber from 2024 - under the marketing name Alfa Romeo since 2018. There he could replace the Chinese Zhou Guanyu, who has just six points in the current World Cup standings.
In 2026, Schumacher will be 27 years old and would still be a driver for many seasons to come. So Schumacher shouldn't worry too much about the future. The only question is: What does he have to do in the coming season?
