Nico Hulkenberg is reportedly "the favourite" to fill the undecided seat at Haas next season – leaving Mick Schumacher's Formula 1 career under threat.
The 23-year-old is coming to the end of his second season in the sport and with Haas. This year finally saw him break his point-scoring duck and put in some impressive showings, but it was also marred by some costly crashes at the start of the year.
Those mistakes may well play a part in deciding his future with the team. Guenther Steiner insisted this week that Schumacher is "still in the running" for the place alongside Kevin Magnussen, whose seat is secured for 2023.
But he is not the only one, with Haas keen to keep their options open and not rush into making a decision "and then regret it next year", as Steiner put it. Plus, engine suppliers Ferrari may well have a say in who gets the seat, and Schumacher is set to be let go from their driver academy at the end of this year.
German outlet Auto Motor und Sport have assessed the situation and have claimed Schumacher is at risk of losing out on the seat to a compatriot. According to their report, Hulkenberg could be given a race seat for the first time since 2019, when he left Renault.
While it has been a long time since 'Hulk' was a regular on the F1 grid, he has remained in the paddock ever since. He has been a reserve driver for the Aston Martin team, racing for them on two occasions in 2020, scoring points both times, and filling in for Sebastian Vettel twice more at the start of this year.
Auto Motor und Sport says the 35-year-old is "considered the favourite for the seat," at Haas because he "was always at the same level as his team-mates right away in his five temporary assignments in place of Coronavirus victims".
The report also mentions Daniel Ricciardo, who is also on the hunt for a 2023 berth after he was replaced at McLaren. But although he bring the experience and prestige of an eight-time race winner in F1, the Aussie's struggles have seen him "manoeuvre himself out of the contenders".
If Schumacher is replaced at Haas, he will likely struggle to land another seat for next year. Alpine are inundated with options – even if their other driver Esteban Ocon has publicly recommended the German for the seat himself. He may have to follow the example of his current team-mate Magnussen and hope for a return down the line similar to the Dane's own career path.
