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Nico Hulkenberg is reported to have a contract with Haas in the upcoming season as a permanent driver. In this case, Mick Schumacher would have to leave the team as there has been no contract signed with him. While there are no official statements, fans believe replacing Schumacher with Hulkenberg might not be the best option for them.
"I’m not sure this is the right choice, there are many other drivers I would consider of the Hulk, is he really going to be on the pace after so long out?"
Mick Schumacher is serving his second season with Haas, and this is also his second season in the sport. 2021 was a tragic year for the team as they ended with absolutely no points, but in 2022, they managed to catch on to the challenge with Kevin Magnussen back in the seat.
Both drivers have scored points, but at the same time, Schumacher has crashed and wrecked the car a couple of times, which has been tough on the team's budget. Speaking to The Associated Press, Haas F1 team owner Gene Haas said:
“I think Mick has got 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."
The team's boss also said that it is easier for a big team to recover from the wrecks, but that is not the case at the Kannapolis-based team. He further said:
“Now, if you bring us some points, and you are [Max] Verstappen and you wreck cars, we’ll deal with it. But when you are in the back and you wreck cars, that’s very difficult.”
Nico Hulkenberg can be a potential replacement for Haas
Haas' team boss expects Schumacher to be consistent and improve at a good pace. Although he has scored a couple of points this season, he is still far away from his teammate Magnussen.
Since he did not improve as he was expected to, there are chances that the team has already signed a contract with Nico Hulkenberg for next year, as per the reports. As good as it might be for the team, fans think that they have better options than him. Here are some of the best reactions.
Mick Schumacher's 2023 seat could be in trouble
If Haas signs Nico Hulkenberg for the upcoming season, Schumacher will probably have to sit out since he has very little chance of getting into another team. A potential move for him was in Alpine, but that seat has been taken up by Pierre Gasly, and there have been absolutely no reports of him moving to Williams. He might have to wait for another season to go by and then join in with a stronger team.
