Guenther Steiner has said that he doesn’t want to take any risks when it comes to deciding Haas’ 2023 driver line-up.
Kevin Magnussen is staying with the American team for the 2023 campaign, but who will be his team-mate is very much uncertain at the moment.
Mick Schumacher has shown glimpses of quality this season but has more often than not been second best to Magnussen on both Saturdays and Sundays, and has made errors.
As a result, his future is in doubt with Steiner and co yet to decide whether they want to keep him at the end of the season or replace him.
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Those most heavily linked with his seat are Antonio Giovinazzi, who is testing for the team later this season, and Daniel Ricciardo.
The likelihood of the Aussie joining the team is increasing with it looking more and more likely that Alpine will sign Pierre Gasly rather than him.
Steiner says one of the key factors in the decision will be which driver would be the least risky to sign and the safest pair of hands.
“My appetite for risk is not very big at the moment,” he told RTL.
He wasn’t referring only to Schumacher, with him previously stating that giving Ricciardo a seat would also be something of a risk given how much the 33-year-old has struggled at McLaren for the past two season.
Indeed, he says the German could well stay if he performs well in the next few races of the season.
“The thing is, Mick has put in some good performances, so if he can repeat them he’s a candidate to stay,” added the Italian.
Schumacher’s future has been made all the more uncertain by the fact that he’s set to leave the Ferrari academy at the end of the season, meaning they’ll no longer be helping him find a seat on the grid.
Steiner says that he doesn’t know much about that split, and that Haas won’t be rushed into a decision.
“We don’t want to be put under pressure, we want to make the right decision,” he stated.
“Mick is not out of the game, but we want to be open and fair and see how the situation develops.”
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As for how long it will take them to decide who will be Magnussen’s team-mate next year, he said:
“Two weeks, three weeks, four weeks – everything is possible.”
That means that Schumacher needs to perform well in the next two races, in the Netherlands and Italy, if he wants to keep the seat.
Many people within the sport think that he’s going to lose it regardless though.