Haas team principal, Guenther Steiner, has confirmed that Nico Hulkenberg is among his list of options for the 2023 season.
Mick Schumacher is out of contract at the end of this year, and the German struggled at the beginning of the campaign, failing to get points on the board in any of the first nine races.
However, the 23-year-old found his feet in Canada, and was unlucky not to score points after he was hit by a reliability failure, but those first points were on their way.
They arrived in Silverstone, before more materialised in Spielberg, but neither he nor team-mate, Kevin Magnussen, have scored since then.
READ: Kevin Magnussen asked about Haas replacing Mick Schumacher with Daniel Ricciardo
Overall, the Dane has been the better performer in 2022, and he has a multi-year deal with the Banbury-based crew, so that seat is all tied up.
Despite his marked improvements, Schumacher is still currently without a drive for the 2023 season, and there are alternatives should the American side opt to go for one.
Hulkenberg is available having left Renault in 2019, but he has had experience since then, making five appearances for Racing Point and Aston Martin due to COVID-19 bouts for Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll and Sebastian Vettel.
Daniel Ricciardo is set to leave McLaren at the end of the year, so he too is looking for a drive, while Nyck de Vries and Antonio Giovinazzi are also in the picture.
There are lots of movers and shakers in the driver market this year, so Steiner will be thorough in his assessment of which one he should try and snap up.
“That’s where you put yourself under pressure, and we don’t need that, we’re just playing against ourselves,” he told RTL.
“We don’t really have any time pressure, all the others have the time pressure but not us. That’s an advantage we don’t take away.”
The Italian stated that Schumacher’s 12th-placed finish in Monza last time out was a “good” performance, but also said that “most drivers with a super license” are on his list of possible drivers alongside Magnussen.
Regarding Hulkenberg, Steiner cited his “experience” as a potential advantage.
“What can a driver contribute to improve the team and take us to the top?” he queried.
“How much risk do you want to take? You usually take more risk with a young driver, because you don’t know how far he can take it.”
There has been a little needle between Magnussen and Hulkenberg in the past, but Steiner joked that the “fans would love” to see them racing in the same team.
The 57-year-old indicated that he is waiting for Ricciardo to decide what he wants to do with his future before making a decision on him.
READ: ‘If there’s an opportunity, call me’: Hulkenberg ‘keen but not desperate’ for F1 return
“Daniel has to decide for himself first in his situation what he is going to do. It makes little sense to talk him into doing something. He has to decide for himself,” added Steiner.
“If he feels like it, he’ll certainly call; otherwise, he’ll probably say I’m taking a sabbatical or something else.”
Haas are currently seventh in the Constructors’ Standings, ahead of AlphaTauri, Aston Martin and Williams.