Formula 1 fans were given their biggest indication who could be driving for Haas next season on Monday, with Aston Martin announcing that Stoffel Vandoorne will be joining the team as a test and reserve driver for 2023, a role currently held by Nico Hulkenberg.
If Vandoorne is coming into the team, it would indicate the Hulkenberg is on his way elsewhere, amidst strong rumours that he wants to take Mick Schumacher’s seat at Haas next season.
“So far, I can’t say anything specific,” said Hulkenberg when asked about the rumours.
“In the end, I don’t make the decision. Negotiations are ongoing and I am relatively optimistic about the progress.
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“You need to be patient with these decisions.”
The battle between Schumacher and his older countryman has been one that has been hotly debated in recent weeks, with Schumacher only going to get better at 23, and Hulkenberg arguably closer to retirement than being in his prime at 35 years of age.
Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas have both been critical about Schumacher’s performance this season, with the latter saying that the cost of his mistakes, combined with his lack of point scoring makes him too expensive of an asset for the American team to realistically own.
The team owner suggested before the United States Grand Prix that the German would have to score some points in the final four races to save his seat, and with two races to go now Schumacher is yet to score.
It has not all been plain sailing for the 23-year-old at these race weekends though, with damage costing him points in Austin and a corner cutting infringement costing him a Q1 escape in Mexico.
Former F1 driver Timo Glock has agreed that the writing may be on the wall for Schumacher’s departure, with his improvement in recent weeks not being enough to save his seat.
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“You have to look at the whole season,” he explained.
“At the moment he has better speed than his teammate. He has made fewer mistakes lately. You can’t just rate someone on their last two races.”
While Schumacher seemingly has to do something extraordinary in Brazil and Abu Dhabi to save his 2024 seat, he might take comfort in the fact that Audi have expressed their interest in adding him to their ranks for 2026, admitting that the appeal of a German driver may be too much to turn down.