London, Nov 17 () Mick Schumacher will leave Haas at the end of the season – with his hopes of finding a seat at another team for 2023 looking slim.
In a statement on Thursday Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner 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,” Steiner added.
The German joined Haas for 2021 to race alongside Nikita Mazepin, Schumacher having won the F2 championship the previous year. This year, alongside Kevin Magnussen, Schumacher scored his first points at Silverstone with eighth, following that up with sixth at the following race in Austria.
Haas later confirmed that Schumacher’s replacement would be former Force India and Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg.
In a statement on social media, meanwhile, Schumacher admitted his disappointment that his time with Haas was coming to an end, while adding that he was confident that his talent merited a seat on the F1 grid.
“This is going to be my last race with Haas F1 Team. I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed about the decision not to renew our contract,” he wrote. “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 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.”
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