Mick Schumacher out, Nico Hulkenberg in? The decision should finally be made in Brazil. And it’s not at all unlikely that talent will have to give way to retirees. Meanwhile, motorsport legend Bernie Ecclestone has an unusual tip.
After all, this trip to Brazil will probably bring Mick Schumacher one thing: clarity at last. After months of uncertainty, he should find out in Sao Paulo whether he will continue in Formula 1 – but there may be bad news: there are now many indications that he is actually losing his place at Haas to the retiree Nico Hülkenberg.
“Hopefully” there will be a decision this week, said team boss Günther Steiner recently, and then he spoke a lot about experience: whether Schumacher had enough of it “to advance the team”. Or if you need someone else. “That’s the big question.” Schumacher, 23, or Hulkenberg, 35 years old.
Former F1 chief marketer Bernie Ecclestone expects Schumacher to be eliminated. “I don’t think he’s there,” Ecclestone confessed in an RTL/ntv interview about the occupation of the second cockpit at the US racing team. The Dane Kevin Magnussen is set at Haas for 2023. “Maybe he has to forget Formula 1 and focus on the other motorsport series,” said Ecclestone in the event of a Formula 1 exit for Schumacher. “His name is his biggest burden, but he’s trying to live up to it as best he can. And that’s what gets him into trouble. So forget it and win in a different category.”
Haas has the last free cockpit for 2023. Williams wants to promote the American Logan Sargeant from Formula 2 next season – provided he gets the necessary points for the super license. Otherwise there could be another option here. “It’s no longer about a race,” Steiner said recently to the AFP news agency, “I’m not someone who says: ‘With a good race or a good test, you get a cockpit.'” This approach is “too simple”, that “Maybe 20, 30 years ago” you did it like this, “today you have to see the big picture”.
That is quite remarkable, because it was exactly this approach that team owner Gene Haas had recently broken down: Schumacher had to score points in the remaining races, said the American. In a car, mind you, with which this is only possible in exceptional cases, with which Magnussen also follows. Since early summer, since Schumacher has been getting along noticeably better with the VF-22, he has finished ahead of the Dane in 10 out of 15 races. That hasn’t helped the German, at least not so far. A few days ago, the Dutch TV broadcaster Ziggo Sport even rushed forward, reported: Schumacher was out, Hülkenberg was announced this Thursday in Interlagos as a Haas driver for the coming season.
According to information from the sports information service, however, this was premature, even on Wednesday morning there was still uncertainty. Swapping Schumacher for Hulkenberg, however, may only seem like an unusual idea at first glance. On the one hand a young racing driver with a high advertising value – thanks to his last name alone – whose development curve is pointing upwards, who also knows the team and the car. On the other hand, a highly respected driver who, however, has not had a regular cockpit for three years – and is already 35 years old.
But perhaps Schumacher would not be a safe investment in the future for Haas either. Audi recently announced its entry into Formula 1 from 2026, and the German manufacturer has repeatedly confirmed that it would like to drive with a German driver. And at the moment, apart from Schumacher, there is no suitable candidate in sight. Audi will take over shares in the Sauber team to get started, and Schumacher would be an attractive option for the Swiss as early as 2024, and could help there to prepare for the factory entry – but Haas would then have to look for a new driver again.
(This article was first published on Wednesday, November 09, 2022.)
