Will Mick Schumacher stay in Formula 1 next year? This question is becoming increasingly dramatic. Because his Haas racing team will not hold any further contract talks during the summer break. Team boss Steiner wants to see performance and has the better hand in cockpit poker.
The second half of the 2022 Formula 1 season will be tough for Mick Schumacher. In the remaining nine races, the 23-year-old is fighting for nothing less than his future in the racing series. According to RTL/ntv information, Schumacher will initially not get a new contract with his Haas team during the summer break. Team boss Günther Steiner is therefore no longer in a hurry to negotiate an extended working paper with the pilot.
One reason for this: Fernando Alonso's surprising move to Aston Martin. After the announced retirement of the four-time world champion at the end of the year, Sebastian Vettel's racing team suddenly became a strong option for Schumacher. And as a powerful hand in poker with Haas for a cockpit for 2023. But because the English would rather have an experienced man at Lance Stroll's side, the weighting on the market has shifted to the disadvantage of Schumacher.
Haas can now rely on the time factor, knowing full well that the US racing team is currently the only way for the German to secure his place in the driver's field for the coming year. Not all cockpits have been assigned yet, but the 23-year-old does not have a serious chance alongside Haas. The Alfa Romeo team may still be moving, but that is not certain. Guanyu Zhou is not yet confirmed. But the Chinese brings a lot of sponsorship money and is having a decent debut season. It is also unclear what will happen at Alpine after the chaos surrounding Oscar Piastri.
And so the pressure on the German pilot increases immensely. In the team-internal duel he is clearly behind Kevin Magnussen. In the qualifying duels, the Dane leads 11:2 (!) and he is also well ahead of Schumacher in the World Championship standings. Magnussen has scored 22 points, his team-mate only 12. After a small interim high at Silverstone and Spielberg (the only two races in which he scored points), the 23-year-old went away empty-handed twice again. Steiner now expects a significant improvement from his youngster.
At the earliest at the race weekend in Monza, from September 9th to 11th, there could be talks about a new contract. But if Haas really decides against Schumacher, the premier class would face a season without a German (regular) driver for the first time since 1981 (!). Because the 23-year-old still had the following option: substitute driver at Ferrari. There, however, his mentor, team boss Mattia Binotto, is also fighting for his job after serious strategy mistakes.
