Marko thinks Hulkenberg to replace Schumacher at Haas F1 team
Nov.4 - Dr Helmut Marko thinks Haas will replace Mick Schumacher with a "veteran" Formula 1 driver for 2023.
As the weeks and days roll on, it is becoming increasingly clear that the small American team intends to oust the 23-year-old son of F1 legend Mick Schumacher.
"When a team publicly criticises a driver so massively, as was sometimes the case, it shows that there is no sign of trust," Red Bull's top Austrian official Marko, 79, told the German broadcaster ntv.
"The situation at Haas is that they have an experienced driver in (Kevin) Magnussen, and if there was a great up-and-coming talent, I would bet on him," he added.
"But I don't see anyone at the moment who would have these requirements. And from a team perspective, there's a lot of money at stake in the constructors' world championship," said Marko.
"Whether you're tenth or eighth, that's a difference of millions of dollars. I assume that Haas will bet on a veteran."
That 'veteran' appears to be Nico Hulkenberg, who recently said he is "optimistic" that his "talks" with Haas about 2023 will be fruitful.
The team is tipped to make its announcement before next weekend's Brazilian GP.
"It would be a shame for Servus TV," said Marko, referring to the Red Bull-owned broadcaster that Hulkenberg currently works as a pundit for.
"On the other hand, Hulkenberg has proved that he can jump into a car as a reserve driver without any test kilometres - into the cold water, so to speak - and always deliver.
"That speaks volumes for him."
As for Schumacher, Marko says the first half of the 2022 season "wasn't good" for the German.
"There were serious accidents with a lot of equipment and monetary damage, which is of course a serious issue for teams. Then there were very good races in England and Austria and as a result, Schumacher improved significantly in the second half of the year," said Marko.
"Then he had some bad luck with Haas' strategy and also some car problems."
Marko thinks it is "certainly a possibility" that Schumacher will sit out 2023 as Ferrari's reserve driver.
"In 2024 a few places will become available as contracts expire," he added.
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Well, The Hulk consistently finished in the top-10, when he finished at all.
I hope Schumacher makes it back into F1 - I suspect the talent is there.
As a merchant seaman, I worked on the same ship over multiple seasons. There was one year, season, that I simply loathed. A super-toxic west-coast deckhand showed up and the new-to-the-ship Captain didn't turf the slag as soon as he started his BS. The First Mate was also a west-coast slag. The place went to Hell in a hand-basket.
Point being, if a workplace is unhappy, 9 times out of 10 it's due to management.
Agreed. My experience is more than 9 of 10, and Haas has proved the rule. The car and team are at least 70% of a winning formula for success. Put VER in a Haas and he would get consistent points, but podiums would be tough. The radio traffic would be entertaining.
"When a team publicly criticises a driver so massively, as was sometimes the case, it shows that there is no sign of trust," Red Bull's top Austrian official Marko, 79, told the German broadcaster ntv."
C'mon, doc, you are correct but also guilty. Use some of that overspend on a mirror.
As Nico has been replaced at AM as test/reserve driver it would seem a done deal, otherwise Nico would have announced hes quit to race full time somewhere else
Read that. I suspect HUL and Haas have been negotiating for several weeks. Good for HUL, I like him. Bad for Haas,, not the way to the future.
Mick is quick at times and has shown to be quicker than Magnusson at times. The Haas package just lacks consistency and possibly this could be that the driver development input is not as great as is needed. It seemed that when Magnusson returned to the team it made a difference for both cars for a bit but then plateaued. The package just may need more technical feel than what the current drivers can deliver in order to develop into a better contender. Hulkenberg has demonstrated the ability to assist in developing a car but whether that abilityis greater than what Mick brings to the table I think no one on the outside can say. Hulk has shown to be quick in a good package.
Whatever is going on, you can rest assured all the necessary parties already know about it.
He can think what he wants, but he doesn't know Haas' inner things any better than other outsiders, so merely guessing by him too.
His last point about 2024 isn't necessarily true, though, & Mick is supposed to leave Ferrari, or this was at least reported as certain at one point this season.
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