Mick Schumacher is the leading candidate to replace the retiring Sebastian Vettel at Aston Martin for 2023. That's the view of RacingNews365.com Editorial Director Dieter Rencken, who said earlier this week that a combination of Schumacher's recent good form and his links to legendary father Michael make the German an ideal candidate for a race seat at Aston Martin. "Mick has upped his game recently, and of course, he's got the Schumacher name, which is very, very valuable for a car company seeking some form of prestige," Rencken said on the RacingNews365.com F1 podcast. "I wouldn't be surprised if they're talking to Mick."
Schumacher set to leave Haas this year?
Schumacher's seat at Haas is thanks in part to his status as a member of Ferrari's Driver Academy, as the Scuderia retain the right to nominate a driver for a race seat at Haas, who have close ties with Ferrari. Such an arrangement allows Ferrari to evaluate its young drivers and see whether they are suitable for a promotion to a race seat at Ferrari. However, with Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both signed up for the next few years, it seems unlikely an opening will emerge at Ferrari any time soon, and Rencken suggested that the Scuderia may elect to replace Mick with another member of their academy, which would free the German to join Aston Martin for 2023. "I don't think Mick will stay on with Haas unless Ferrari decided to retain Mick, and at this stage, that's far from certain," said Rencken. "There are increasing questions as to whether it's in the best interests of Ferrari to retain Mick in the academy, because normally those drivers end up [at Ferrari], and there are doubts that Mick will end up there in the near future, if at all. "If that's the case, why retain them in the academy? Therefore, why would Haas then keep on the driver when Ferrari would probably nominate somebody else for next year? "[Haas] do have Kevin Magnussen under contract [for 2023], so I think that Mick is potentially a free agent next year."
Steiner unsure on Schumacher future
Speaking after Schumacher had scored back-to-back points finishes in Britain and Austria, Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner was notably non-committal about the German's future. "What do [the two points finishes] do for his future? I don't really know yet; it's early to talk about the future," Steiner told media, including RacingNews365.com. "We haven't decided on the drivers and we never did before the summer break, as you well know. "We will decide after the summer break and see, but I don't know what else he's up to."
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