Mick Schumacher Breaks Silence on Audi Speculations as Haas F1 Boss Guenther Steiner Continues to Keep His Cards Close to His Chest: “I Hope This Will Bring Many Germans…”

To have Schumacher at the end of your name is expected to bring a lot of expectations if you’re an F1 driver. Those expectations can cause problems though. Mick Schumacher is living proof of that. One of the nicknames he has been given as a result of that shows how bad it has been for him. Can the entry of Audi be the change he needs?

Mick Schumacher’s career hung in the balance ever since the season started. His finishes in the start ranged between 17th and 11th with the odd DNF. After his crash out of the Canadian GP, it was reported that Schumacher had been nicknamed “Crash Kid” by the other drivers in the paddocks.

By extension, Guenther Steiner and Haas had been reluctant to commit to signing a fresh contract with Schumacher. There were a number of comments made in course of the season by both Steiner and Gene Haas that signaled the lack of conviction and confidence in the duo for Schumacher.

While Schumacher’s performances showed good growth with decent finishes at Silverstone and Austria, Haas has still not shown any signs of a change in their views.

However, there still might be hope for the 23-year-old. As Audi has announced plans to partner with Sauber from 2026 onwards, there is a belief that they might want a German driver on their lineup. Moreover, their statement “Audi has selected Sauber as a strategic partner for the project and plans to acquire a stake in the Sauber Group.” hints they might attempt to influence line-up decisions next season onwards as well.

Speaking to F1 Insider, Mick too has shown some signs of optimism at Audi’s entry into F1. He said, “I think it’s great that Audi is getting into Formula 1. It is a global company, a German brand. I hope that this will bring many Germans back to Formula 1 and that we will have a home race again at some point.” (Translated via Google)

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In what direction things move after the end of this season is anyone’s guess. Mick will be hoping for a seat in F1, and a considerably more competitive car next season so that he can prove his naysayers wrong. But that’s a lot of ifs and buts to count on.

What’s the Audi deal that Sauber and Mick Schumacher are relying on?

As the FIA announced the end of the current engine era in 2025, and new regulations for the 2026 season and onwards, a flurry of new investments has taken place in F1. Audi was among those.

Currently, the Sauber team runs under the Alfa Romeo name with its engine supplier being Ferrari. As the engine supply contract ends this season, the team will run as “Sauber” until Audi enters the fray in 2026. Audi’s entry was announced at the Belgian GP.

The team principal of Sauber, Fred Vasseur, believes it could provide a much-needed injection to the team. “To become Audi’s official works team is not only an honor and a great responsibility: it’s the best option for the future, and we are fully confident we can help Audi achieve the objectives they have set for their journey in F1,” he said.

The 2026 engine regulations provide for increased use of electrical power, decreased carbon emissions as a result of the use of sustainable fuels as well as an overall more powerful car. These seem to have been the prime reasons for Audi’s decision to enter F1 for the first time, despite having been around since 1909.

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2026 is still a long way, but the amount of interest that has come ever since the announcement of the new engine regulations signals great signs for F1 going forward. It could turn out to be a masterstroke in F1’s quest to become the top global sport.