Formula 1: Was Mick Schumacher doomed from the start?

Haas have announced that Nico Hulkenberg will replace Mick Schumacher for the 2023 Formula 1 season. Truthfully, Schumacher had no chance whatsoever.

It would be unfair to expect Haas’s Mick Schumacher to have a Formula 1 career which rivals that of his father, the legendary Michael Schumacher.

The senior Schumacher is a seven-time world champion with Benetton and Ferrari, and he is widely regarded as the greatest to ever grace the sport. Meanwhile, Mick is a second-year driver for a Haas team better known for their meme-rich Drive to Survive features than their on-track successes.

Schumacher’s Formula 1 tenure has been difficult to put into words. He is driving for one of the worst teams on the grid, and he scored no points last year. This season saw Schumacher score his first points in Formula 1, and despite trailing behind teammate Kevin Magnussen, the second-year driver is currently tied for 16th place in the standings.

Despite a significant improvement from his rookie year to his sophomore year, Schumacher’s performance hasn’t been good enough for Haas team principal Guenther Steiner. Steiner said that Schumacher must score points before the end of the season to remain at Haas — and in Formula 1. The comments were later walked back, but the damage had already been done.

The breakup between the 24-year-old talent and Haas became messy quite quickly after Steiner put a nearly impossible ultimatum on Schumacher. While the Haas car has shown glimpses of competitiveness, it has been yet another forgettable season for the American team.

Now, the once-promising driver will lose his seat to Nico Hulkenberg, a familiar name for Formula 1 fans. Hulkenberg last raced full-time for Renault in 2019 and has served as a reserve driver for Aston Martin.

There are always nerves for an athlete heading into a contract year.

The incentive to perform to a high enough standard weighs heavily on the mind of any athlete, especially when a contract renewal isn’t guaranteed. It was a tricky scenario all season long for the youngster. What does a second-year driver, who got his first points this season, need to do in one of the least competitive cars to secure a new contract?

In the unlikely scenario that Schumacher’s Formula 1 career ends after this season, it would be a bitter pill to swallow for an improving driver. While Schumacher has only scored 12 points compared to Magnussen’s 25, his overall statistics rival those of his Danish teammate this season.

For starters, Schumacher’s best finish this season is a sixth place finish in Austria, compared to Magnussen’s top finish of fifth in Bahrain. And since we’re talking about Haas, we should include the fact that Schumacher has had one less DNF than Magnussen in 2022.

Perhaps it was the gap between himself and his seasoned veteran teammate, or possibly the million-dollar crashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco. Maybe the fact that Magnussen miraculously pushed the Haas to P1 in qualifying in Brazil was the dagger. Nonetheless, Schumacher will not be competing in the pinnacle of motorsport when the lights go out for the first time in 2023.

It’s unlikely that this will be the last time we see Schumacher. Just look at the man replacing him, a driver who waited for a chance to get back onto the grid finally got his shot.

Unfortunately, it became glaringly apparent that Schumacher didn’t have the car to make his case to stay in Formula 1. Now, the young German driver will have to watch from the sidelines, and Haas will have to convince the world that their gamble on Hulkenberg paid off.