Mick Schumacher made it clear he feels Haas have made a mistake by replacing him with Nico Hulkenberg for next season.
The American team announced its long-awaited driver decision on Thursday. For the 2023 season, team principal Guenther Steiner has chosen the experience of the former Force India and Renault racer over his younger compatriot.
Steiner took a long time to consider the decision. But, in the end, his desire to field a "well-seasoned" driver partnership next season had him leaning towards Hulkenberg – leaving Schumacher out in the cold for next season, and surely worried about his future in Formula 1.
The 23-year-old's reaction to the news was a defiant one. "I don't want to hide the fact that I am very disappointed with the decision not to renew out contract," he said in a statement. "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 technical and personally.
"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. "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."
With every seat on the 2023 grid now decided, it is highly unlikely that Schumacher will avoid taking at least a year out of the sport. The only chance of a reprieve will be if Logan Sargeant, who is due to make his F1 bow next year with Williams, does not get enough points to gain his superlicence in time.
In that case, there is a chance the German may be chosen as an alternative by Williams. Jost Capito admitted recently that he would be considered for the seat if they need to abandon their plan to promote Sargeant from F2.
Explaining his decision, Steiner said: "While choosing to go in separate directions for the future, the entire team wishes Mick well for the next steps in his career path and beyond. I'm naturally very pleased to be welcoming Nico Hulkenberg back to a full-time racing role in Formula 1.
"The experience and knowledge base Nico brings to the team is clear to see – with nearly 200 career starts in Formula 1 – and a reputation as being a great qualifier and a solid, reliable racer. These are attributes, which when you pair them together with Kevin Magnussen's experience, gives us a very credible and well-seasoned driver line-up which we believe will help push the team onwards up the grid."
