Haas announce Schumacher departure

American Formula One team Haas have announced that their German driver, Mick Schumacher, will be parting ways with them at the end of the ongoing 2022 Formula One season.

Schumacher, who joined Haas in 2021 following his Championship-winning run in Formula 2 the year before, made his debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix and finished P16. While he couldn’t score points in his debut season with a Haas car that was right at the bottom of the field, Schumacher scored his maiden points at the 2022 British Grand Prix, finishing P8. He then scored points in the following race as well, securing a stellar sixth-place finish at the Austrian Grand Prix. The ongoing 2022 season, though, has been a mixed bag for the German, who has had his fair share of driver errors and crashes that have cost the team dearly and have eventually led to Haas deciding against retaining Schumacher for a third season.

Schumacher is reported to be in line for a reserve driver role with German team Mercedes. 

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas Formula One team, said:

“I would like to thank Mick Schumacher for his contribution to the team over the past couple of years. 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 – culminating in his first Formula 1 points-scoring successes earlier this season. 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.“

Mick Schumacher, stated:

“This is going to be my last race with the Haas F1 Team. I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed about the decision not to renew our contract. Nevertheless, I would like to thank both Haas F1 and Ferrari for giving me this opportunity.

“Those years together have helped me to mature both technically and personally. And especially when things got difficult, I realised how much I love this sport. 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. The subject is anything but closed for me. Setbacks only make you stronger. My fire burns for Formula One and I will fight hard to return to the starting grid.“

With Schumacher leaving the team, his compatriot Nico Hülkenberg is set to replace him at Haas and will be partnering Kevin Magnussen for the 2023 season, although an official announcement is awaited.

After three years of sporadic appearances as a substitute, Nico Hülkenberg will be making a return to the grid as a full-time driver for the first time since 2019.