The son of motor racing legend Michael Schumacher will not remain with Haas, it has been confirmed
Schumacher will be absent from the F1 grid next season. © Jakub Porzycki / NurPhoto via Getty Images
Mick Schumacher, the son of seven-time Formula 1 champion Michael Schumacher, has vowed to “prove people wrong” after losing his seat at Haas for the 2023 season.
Haas principal Guenther Steiner confirmed on Thursday that the Formula 1 team would not be renewing its contract with the 23-year-old, describing it as “not an easy decision” but “best to do for the team.”
Schumacher will be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg, the 35-year-old German veteran who has been without a full-time seat since 2019 but has served as a back-up driver on several occasions.
Hulkenberg will line up alongside Kevin Magnussen, the Dane who joined Haas at the start of the current season following the departure of Russian rookie Nikita Mazepin shortly after Moscow launched its military campaign in Ukraine.
Schumacher was unable to hide his disappointment at the news of his exit, vowing to bounce back in a message posted on Instagram.
“This is going to be my last race with Haas,” wrote Schumacher ahead of the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix this weekend.
“I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed about the decision not to renew our contract.”
The German racer thanked Haas and Ferrari – where he has been part of the academy since 2019 – before signaling his intent to return to the grid.
“It was at times bumpy but I steadily improved, learned a lot and now know for sure that I deserve a place in Formula 1.
“The subject is anything but closed for me. Setbacks only make you stronger.
“My fire burns for Formula 1 and I will fight hard to return to the starting grid,” added Schumacher, signing off with the message “PTW” – meaning “Prove Them Wrong.”
Schumacher shared his disappointment with his 3.2 million followers on Instagram. © Instagram
However, Schumacher’s future will be uncertain, with all ten F1 teams confirming their intended line-ups for the 2023 season – although he could yet earn a reserve spot somewhere.
Schumacher joined Haas ahead of the 2021 season as an F2 champion, but struggled alongside Mazepin in their debut campaigns among the motor-racing elite, with neither man registering a point.
Schumacher changed that this season by scoring in two races – putting him on 12 points in total – but that still puts him behind the 25-point tally of teammate Magnussen.
Schumacher has also been involved in a spate of expensive accidents with Haas, which are reported to have been a factor in the team and its owner, Gene Haas, opting not to renew his contract.
The American racing mogul said back in October that Schumacher “has 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.”
“When you are in the back [of the grid] and you wreck cars, that’s very difficult,” added Haas.
