Schumacher increasingly cornered: Ferrari deal with Haas expires

Schumacher under pressure

Schumacher is in his second year at Haas in Formula 1 and that second season has been difficult. Alongside Kevin Magnussen, the German's performance is suddenly disappointing and so there are doubts within the team. Haas also has plenty of other talents to choose from with Daniel Ricciardo, Nico Hulkenberg and Antonio Giovinazzi.

An additional problem for Schumacher is Ferrari's expiring deal. According to Sport1.de Ferrari will no longer have control of Haas' second seat from 2023. That deal allowed Ferrari to stable its talent at Haas until this year. From 2023, Haas will again be allowed to make that choice itself.

Cooperation with Ferrari is also an issue. Indeed, Ferrari reportedly wants to break up with Schumacher because he is not considered good enough. At the Italian marque, they are said to be more keen on Giovinazzi and Robert Shwartzman. The Russian driving under the Israeli flag will therefore get a first free practice at Ferrari in America.

Future at Audi

Haas may again opt for a Ferrari talent, but Hulkenberg seems the favourite for the seat next to Magnussen at the moment. With all the names, Schumacher seems almost certain to have to look for a new team, but Ralf Schumacher is not worried.

''In the long term, I'm not worried about Mick's future in the premier class. As for next year, Mick just keeps getting better. If Günther Steiner and Gene Haas remain objective, they can't get past Mick. So we'll see.''

That Ralf is not worried about his nephew's long-term future is not surprising. Audi will in all likelihood take over Sauber from 2024 and would then also want a German driver in the team. Should Schumacher be sidelined in 2023, he will probably still get the chance to return to the sport in 2024 with the team currently racing under the Alfa Romeo name.