Mick Schumacher stays silent on shaky Formula One future

Mick Schumacher declined a number of alternatives on Thursday to debate his future in Components One amid hypothesis he’ll be dropped by Haas on the finish of the season.

The son of seven-time F1 champion Michael Schumacher is in his second season with Haas, the place he was promoted to from the Ferrari Driver Academy. He is been related to Ferrari since 2019 after successful the European F3 championship.

Schumacher’s contract with the the academy is ready to run out on the finish of this 12 months and Haas, which has an engine partnership with Ferrari, wouldn’t be obligated to maintain the 23-year-old German if Schumacher is not a part of this system.

Schumacher was requested forward of the Dutch Grand Prix if he deliberate to remain at Haas for a 3rd season; if he was speaking to different groups; and, “what do you see as the professionals and cons of what you do going ahead?”

He skirted all three questions.

“I see the professionals that I might be racing this weekend and the weekend after and hopefully in Singapore and Suzuka and the races to return,” Schumacher mentioned at Circuit Zandvoort. “I am excited for this weekend and our automobile must be fairly sturdy and hopefully I will rating some factors.”

Schumacher remained stone-faced when requested straight if he needed to talk about his 2023 plans, and handed on two different questions on his future. The primary requested about any conversations he is had about remaining a part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.

“I feel in that sense what’s being mentioned behind the scenes between us is one thing that’s between us, and I’d reasonably hold between us and never converse publicly,” he mentioned.

Schumacher later mentioned “that is contractual issues, which I am unable to go into element with,” when requested about his future on the F1 grid. If Haas doesn’t retain Schumacher for subsequent season and he is unable to seek out one other seat, the grid would lose each its German drivers as a result of four-time champion Sebastian Vettel is retiring.

Schumacher was publicly placed on discover earlier this season by Haas crew principal Guenther Steiner to choose up his efficiency. He missed the second race of the season when he crashed in Saudi Arabia and was taken briefly to the hospital for analysis. Schumacher additionally crashed out at Monaco.

He ultimately scored the primary F1 factors of his profession in July on the British Grand Prix by ending eighth at Silverstone. Schumacher was sixth the subsequent race in Austria and has a complete of 12 factors. Kevin Magnussen, who returned to Haas this season after a one-year parting, leads F1’s solely American crew with 22 factors.

Schumacher, in the meantime, has regressed since his back-to-back breakout races. He was fifteenth in France, 14th in Hungary and seventeenth final week in Belgium. Schumacher ranks fifteenth within the 20-driver standings.

Ought to he lose his present seat, there aren’t a ton of choices for Schumacher. Daniel Ricciardo has been purchased out of his contract at McLaren and is in search of a job and McLaren is hoping to win a struggle with Alpine to make use of Oscar Piastri, the Alpine reserve driver, to fill Ricciardo’s seat.

Alpine needs Piastri for the seat opening when Fernando Alonso leaves to exchange Vettel at Aston Martin.

Schumacher did obtain one endorsement on Thursday when Alpine driver Esteban Ocon mentioned he is made it clear to the crew that Schumacher is his selection to exchange Alonso.

“My selection if I had something to say can be Mick if he does not have something lined up for subsequent 12 months,” Ocon mentioned. “Mick is an efficient pal of mine, so if I will help on that, that is no drawback. I feel he has proven skills within the junior classes.

“He is been very quick, you understand, typically in Components One. It isn’t simple to carry out with a automobile that is a bit on the backfoot, and he is an awesome man and he may carry out very effectively if he joined a aggressive automobile and in the meanwhile Alpine is aggressive.”