"I will not give you a date": Haas chief not in mood of making any 'quick decision' about Mick Schumacher's F1 future

Mick Schumacher's future at F1 has been quite uncertain, as there is a high chance that he will not end up with a seat for 2023. There have been no contract extension talks with Haas yet.

Mick is also reportedly ending his ties with Ferrari at the end of the 2022 season, so he will no longer be part of the Ferrari Driver Academy anymore. That leaves barely any options available for Mick, with no other F1 team currently looking to sign him either.

Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner, when asked about the team's second driver at Zandvoort, said they could not give a date and needed to take enough time to make the decision on whatever would be best for the team:

“We are waiting, we are looking at everything and talking with Mr [Gene] Haas quite a lot about it. But we haven’t made a decision. I will not give you a date when the decision is made because that will be your next question. We will give ourselves time."

⚠️ | Guenther Steiner is yet to clarify the exact date Haas will decide their 2023 lineup.

The team continues to evaluate Mick Schumacher's performances.

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He expanded:

“What we want to make sure of is that we don’t make a quick decision and then regret it next year. We want to take the time we have available to try to get the best decision. If it’s right or not we will find out only next year, but at least we prepare ourselves to make the best decision. So no decision has been taken."

There is still a chance Mick Schumacher could retain his seat at McLaren, according to Steiner. He said Mick is still in the running among other candidates, and it will be condusive to wait for a few more races instead of making any immediate decision.

Mick Schumacher has shown glimpses of what is being expected of him in a few races and he has done a pretty good job.

Haas's team boss affirmed:

“A lot of people have talked to us. Mick as well is still in the running because that will be the next question. So in the end, we just go through the motions and we want to wait a few more races. Also, how Mick is doing? Mick did a very good job in Canada, Austria and Silverstone and since then the car was not at par. As I said, we are in no hurry to do anything at the moment.”

He expounded on the driver's talent:

“I said it before, he has done some very good races.”

Steiner continued:

“The races were very good. I think he impressed everybody. But we need consistency as well and we need to see also how we can take the team forward. We don’t want to stay with the status quo. We want to take it forward. That’s the aim, that’s what we need to do.”

Great pace this weekend! We‘ll get another shot at it soon. Let‘s go @HaasF1Team https://t.co/Gqdt2wTriL

Steiner was questioned upfront about Mick Schumacher's contract and why Haas hasn't offered him one for 2023 yet. He responded by saying:

“Because we want to wait to see if that’s the best decision, for the team to re-sign Mick. As I said before, he’s in the same position as all the other drivers on the market. We just want to try to make the best decision for the team’s future. We don’t know yet what you’re looking for and this takes time. If we would know what you’re looking for, we would have made the decision.”

Williams as the next possible stop for Mick Schumacher?

Mick Schumacher has a lot of competition for his seat at Haas. Former Alpha Romeo racer Antonio Giovinazzi and McLaren's Daniel Ricciardo were already next in line for Haas' 2023 seat, and now Mick has even more competition. Nico Hulkenberg is the new candidate in the mix and possibly the favorite.

If Haas does not work out for Mick Schumacher, Williams sounds like the next realistic option for him. While Esteban Ocon has expressed his desire to have Mick as his teammate, Alpine are going to make a move for Pierre Gasly. If Williams decides to move on from Nicolas Latifi, Schumacher will almost certainly be guaranteed a seat at Williams alongside Alex Albon.