Haas F1 Team Drops Schumacher for Hulkenberg
American F1 team Haas announced Thursday that it will fire current driver Mick Schumacher at the end of the 2022 season. He has been replaced by fellow German driver Nico Hulkenberg.
Schumacher, whose father is F1 legend Michael Schumacher, joined Haas as a rookie in 2021.
He missed the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after crashing in qualifying, crashed during practice for the Japanese Grand Prix, and had his car broken in half at the Monaco Grand Prix.
Hulkenberg has been in Formula One since 2010, winning the 2024 Hours of Le Mans in 2015 with Porsche. Although Hulkenberg has substituted several times for Aston Martin (and its Racing Point predecessor), he has been away from F1 since 2019, when he was fired by Renault.
Hulkenberg's best finish was fourth, which he achieved three times. He has also recorded a pole position and two fastest lap times throughout his career.
Haas team principal Günter Steiner said in a statement, "The base of experience and knowledge that Nico brings to the team is clear.
Schumacher's only hope for a seat in 2023 is Williams, but the British team is believed to be eyeing American racer Logan Sargent.
Schumacher's replacement could be a reserve driver for Mercedes-Benz AMG. The German team needs a new reserve driver to replace Nyk de Vries, who will race for Alphatauri next year, and Stoffel Vandoorne, who has replaced Hulkenberg as reserve driver at Aston Martin.
