Mick Schumacher yesterday was cut by Haas and Nico Hulkenberg is to return to the grid full-time next season in his place as Formula One returns to the scene of one of its most embarrassing championship deciders one year later.
“I would like to thank Mick Schumacher for his contribution to the team over the past couple of years,” Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said in a statement. “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. 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.”
Minutes after the announcement was made, Schumacher wrote on Twitter that he was disappointed with the decision, but hoped to soon return to F1.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“It was at times bumpy but I steadily improved, learned a lot and now know for sure that I deserve a place in Formula One,” Schumacher wrote. “The subject is anything but closed for me. Setbacks only make you stronger.”
The announcement regarding the last undecided seat on F1’s grid for next year was hardly a surprise, as Gene Haas last month said that Schumacher needed to score points in the final four races of the season to keep his job.
“Mick’s future is going to be decided by Mick. 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,” Haas said. “I think Mick has got a lot of potential, but you know he costs a fortune and he’s wrecked a lot of cars that have cost us a lot of money that we just don’t have.”
“Now, if you bring us some points, and you are [Max] Verstappen and you wreck cars, we’ll deal with it, but when you are in the back and you wreck cars, that’s very difficult,” he said.
In the three races since Haas made clear the job requirements, the 23-year-old German has failed to score any points with a best finish of 13th last week in Brazil.
Schumacher’s contract with the Driver Academy is up after Sunday’s season finale in Abu Dhabi — removing any obligation on Haas to keep him in the car.
Schumacher could land in a reserve role with Mercedes — a job that Australian Daniel Ricciardo is also chasing — and Esteban Ocon had pushed for Schumacher to get the open Alpine seat before it went to Pierre Gasly.
Haas replaced one German with another in Hulkenberg, a veteran of 181 F1 starts who had his last full season in 2019 with Renault.
“I’m very happy to move into a full-time race seat with Haas F1 Team in 2023,” Hulkenberg said in a team statement. “I feel like I never really left Formula 1. I’m excited to have the opportunity to do what I love the most again.“
Four-time champion Vettel is to make his 299th and final start on Sunday, when the German plans to retire after the race.
Vettel won four consecutive drivers’ championships from 2010 through 2013.
Only Lewis Hamilton, Michael Schumacher and Juan Manuel Fangio have more F1 titles.
He is calling it quits after two seasons with Aston Martin in which he had to adjust to not racing for wins.
“I’ve loved working with the team, getting to know different people and different approaches,” Vettel said. “These two years have been very challenging because I wasn’t familiar with running at the back of the field. It has been a new experience, tough at times.”
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