“I Don’t Think It Will Hugely Change Anything”: Mick Schumacher Reveals F1 Future Plans Amid Nico Hulkenberg Rumors on the Horizon

The prospects of Mick Schumacher staying in Formula 1 in 2023 took another hit after the German finished last in the qualifying in Brazil. In a session where his teammate Kevin Magnussen, against all odds, finished 1st, Mick failed to impress. The young Haas driver, however, feels the result this weekend will not matter a lot in Haas deciding on their next year’s lineup.

Mick Schumacher has scored points only in two GPs so far this season. While the lack of points scoring is disappointing, it is the crashes he’s involved in that’s more alarming. Team boss Guenther Steiner recently revealed the American team’s lineup could be announced before the Abu Dhabi GP.

Mick Schumacher opens up on his prospects in 2023

Haas boss Guenther Steiner had earlier delivered an ultimatum to Mick Schumacher to score points if he wanted to keep his seat. Schumacher has failed to score points in US and Mexico since then, which prompted Steiner to backtrack on his promise. Now Mick has provided a major update on his future in the team.

The Race quoted him saying, “I don’t think it [Brazilian GP] will hugely change it, but a good result is definitely something that we’re targeting.” Mick added, “Our car seems to work well here so hopefully we’ll have a good weekend.”

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For an arguably cash-strapped team like Haas, car crashes cost a lot. Mick has several times not just crashed but had the car unsalvageable. The issue was earlier highlighted by team owner Gene Haas. Former F1 driver Damon Hill too echoed the same sentiment recently.

Damon Hill rates Nico Hulkenberg to be the best replacement for Mick Schumacher

In the latest edition of the F1 Nation podcast, Damon Hill said, “I think he’s still dropping the ball and costing the team a lot of money when he, unfortunately, damages the car. So that was the issue.”

Hill explained how an experienced driver like Nico Hulkenberg could help the team avoid such issues. “Whether you put him, whether you stick with him and hope it’s going to turn around at some point. Or whether you stick in someone who’s an experienced old hand like Nico [Hulkenberg], you know, where they are really a guy that crashes the car is not what they need.”

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Mick’s chances of keeping his Haas seat look bleak. However, he will look to impress other teams in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to at least continue in the sport as a reserve driver. It’s still all to play for Schumacher Jr.