With the end of the season fast approaching, it's looking increasingly likely that Mick Schumacher will find himself without a seat for 2023.
Favourite to take his spot at Haas is Formula 1 veteran Nico Hulkenberg, and Kevin Magnussen insists he would have no problem with the German driver as his team mate.
Like Hulkenberg, Magnussen also spent time away from F1. He was recalled to Haas at the beginning of the year when Nikita Mazepin was dropped due to sanctions against Russian drivers in the wake of the Ukraine conflict.
Hulkenberg made 181 race starts including his debut with Williams at Bahrain in 2010. he went on to race full-time with Force India, Sauber and finally Renault before losing his seat at the end of 2019. he's since made four appearances with Racing Point/Aston Martin as a late stand-in.
But now it seems that the 35-year-old is on the way back to the grid, with the team opting for experience after a troubled stint for Schumacher, which has cost the team plenty in terms of repairs and new cars after multiple accidents.
The pair have some history on track, with Hulkenberg once calling the Danish driver "nasty" and "the most unsporting driver on the grid" after a clash in Hungary in 2017, to which Magnussen coarsely responded that this rival could "suck my balls".
But a lot of water has gone under the bridge since then, and Magnussen insisted he would be perfectly happy if Hulkenberg ended up at Haas next year. “I think I've said many times now, that I don't have a problem with Nico at all," he said last week.
"I respect him as a racing driver," he said. "I don't really know him as a person, but certainly as a racing driver I've always respected him so I would have no problem [with him as a team mate]."
However Magnussen also wanted to make it clear he was supportive of Schumacher and wouldn't object to seeing their partnership continue.
"I don't have an opinion on whether or not [Nico] should be in the second car," he said. "Mick is doing a good job at the moment.
"He had some issues in the beginning of the year and a few crashes but he is certainly faster now.”
Haas is saying nothing at this point about their driver plans for next season, although Magnussen is safely locked up in a multi-year contract.
Hulkenberg has spoken of being upbeat about the state of talks with Haas, even if nothing ends up being finalised.
"At the end of the day, it's not my decision,” he told Servus TV in Mexico. “I'm not making it. There are still talks going on. I'm relatively optimistic, but we'll have to be a little patient."
As for Schumacher, he's been doing his best to make his case on track for why he should keep, although he's failed to finish in the top ten since the Austrian Grand Prix in July.
“I'm here to do my job and I'm here to do it well,” Schumacher told reporters i9n Mexico City. "That's what my main focus is on, and that's everything that I'm in control of.
“I'm just trying to do my best, and that's what I'm here for," he added.
But the signs are not good for him. Team principal Guenther Steiner told German broadcaster RTL that "it's about the future of the team."
©Haas
"A youngster versus a experienced driver, which is better for the team?" he explained. We have to decide that. It's not that we said that Mick has to score points now and he may or may not have the seat. That's not what it's about.
"I have known Nico for years. We have conversations and we need to find out which driver can offer what for the team.
“Unfortunately for Mick it is still too early for Audi because they will not be there until 2026,” he added. “If he is not confirmed at Haas, he will no longer be in Formula 1, this is very clear.
"I also say very clearly that Mick belongs in Formula 1," Steiner said, extending an olive branch. “A young driver sometimes has to make some mistakes, because he doesn’t know what the limit of the car is."
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