Mick Schumacher has been hopeful until the very end, never giving up and fighting for his place at Haas right until the very last.
The American-owned team told Schumacher early last month that he would need a strong end to the season if he wished to stand any chance of keeping his race seat for 2023.
Since then the German has failed to score points, picking up damage in Austin and being eliminated in Q1 in both Mexico and Brazil due to small mistakes and ever changing conditions.
It has now been confirmed by the team that their 2023 line-up will be Kevin Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg, leaving Schumacher out in the cold and with no empty seats left to take.
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Some pundits have questioned Haas’ decision to replace an up and coming 23-year-old, who has obvious potential, with a 35-year-old who is coming to the tail end of his career, but in a sport where results are vital the team’s choice can be understood.
Schumacher has released a statement on social media in the wake of his departure from Haas, stating his love for F1 and desire to return in the future.
“This is going to be my last race with the Haas F1 team,” the post began.
“I don’t want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed with the decision not to renew our contract.
“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.”
The 23-year-old continues to suggest that his Formula 1 journey is not over, despite advice from Bernie Ecclestone who suggested that it would be best for Schumacher if he moved on from the 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.
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“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,” he concluded.
The rumoured path for Schumacher now is to serve as a reserve driver at Alpine with the aim of returning to the grid in 2024, or failing that until 2026 when Audi have been reported to hold an interest in recruiting the German.