Mick Schumacher must show he is capable of scoring “some more points” if he is to retain his Formula 1 seat at Haas next year, says team owner Gene Haas.
Schumacher is coming to the end of his second season at Haas after making his debut for the American outfit in 2021.
The German is out of contract at the end of the year and is under pressure to perform with his future at the team beyond 2022 uncertain.
Reports suggest Schumacher faces stiff competition from Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg, who has held talks with Haas over a 2023 seat.
Speaking at Sunday’s NASCAR Cup race in Las Vegas to the Associated Press, Haas said Schumacher’s future is in his own hands if he can produce the results the team is looking for.
“We need Mick to bring some points and we’re trying to give him as much time as possible to see what he can do,” said Haas.
“If he wants to stay with us, he’s got to show us that he can score some more points. That’s what we are waiting for.”
Schumacher’s heavy accidents in Jeddah and Monaco did not go down well with Haas earlier in the year, as it operates on a much lower budget compared to some of the other teams on the grid.
But while he followed this up with back-to-back points finishes at Silverstone and Austria, Haas admits Schumacher’s rate of crashes this year has been too high.
“In this sport, being kind of a rookie driver, the sport just doesn’t allow it — it’s just too expensive,” he said. “If you make any mistakes in driver selection, or strategy, or tyre selection, it is costing you millions of dollars.”
Haas believes Schumacher has the talent to succeed in F1 but could not look past the “fortune” he has cost the team this season.
“I think Mick has got a lot of potential, but you know he costs a fortune and he’s wrecked a lot of cars that have cost us a lot of money that we just don’t have,” Haas said.
“Now, if you bring us some points, and you are [Max] Verstappen and you wreck cars, we’ll deal with it. But when you are in the back and you wreck cars, that’s very difficult.”
Asked if Schumacher has the remaining four races to earn at least another year, Haas said: “well, if he wins the next one, he’s in. Somewhere in between there is a grey area.”
