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• Haas could axe both its driver at the end of 2020.
• Nico Hulkenberg and Mick Schumacher are contenders for the 2021 racing seats.
• Schumacher could be a potential goldmine for the team.
• For more motoring stories, go to www.Wheels24.co.za
The Haas Formula 1 team is in a bit of bother. They are nowhere near a competitive level and have been slipping down the order with each passing season. Their first season in the sport, back in 2016, was pretty good and the team finished a commendable eighth place at the end of the season, which garnered some hope that things can only improve from here.
They were looking poised to ruffle the feathers of the midfield teams, but, sadly, the team failed to live up to the promise and hype.
A failing driver pairing of Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen did little to help matters along, and a series of bad results and accidents robbed the team of much-needed points. Not just over a single season, but every season the team's been competing in F1.
For 2021, the team is looking at its driver options, and the chances are that the current duo will be ousted. Here are two drivers who are most likely to make up the driver pairing.
If you were Haas F1, would you retain either one, or both, of the current drivers for 2021? Email us with your opinion.
Nico Hulkenberg
Esteban Ocon replaced Hulkenberg at Renault for 2020, and the German driver failed to secure a racing seat for the new season. He was linked with a move to Haas to replace Grosjean for this year, but the team opted to retain accident-prone Grosjean instead.
Hulkenberg made two appearances for the Racing Point team in 2020 as a replacement for Sergio Perez, after the Mexican tested positive for Covid-19. Hulkenberg made the most of his chances and garnered interest from both Haas and Alfa Romeo for 2021. Both Haas and Alfa Romeo have ties to Ferrari, but it is unlikely that The Hulk will join the Scuderia in future - given his age and that youngsters, like Charles Leclerc, are a lot more ruthless and hungrier.
If Hulkenberg signs with Haas, he'll be the senior driver in the team and will be tasked with leading the team into the 2022 regulation overhaul. Hulkenberg may have never stood on an F1 podium, but he is a driver that is rated quite highly in F1.
READ: Hulkenberg could return to F1 next year, but which team should he take up on their offer?
Mick Schumacher
The son of the seven-time F1 champion, Michael Schumacher, is currently competing in Formula 2 - the feeder series to F1. Mick is not the fastest driver in the series, nor the most consistent, but he carries the Schumacher-name that will surely bring in sponsorship.
Money plays a significant role in F1, and teams often drop out of the sport because of a lack thereof. Haas threatened to quit the sport several times the last few years but has signed the new Concorde Agreement that'll see them participate until the end of the 2025 season. If Mick comes onboard as a driver, the team can use it as leverage to attract big-money sponsors, which will result in them having more freedom to go all-out in developing their car - utilising the full $145-million budget cap.
2021's F1 cars may be exact copies of 2020's ones, but with 2022 looming and new cars in development, Haas might want to look at someone like Mick Schumacher if they're going to be closer to Mercedes-AMG F1 and Red Bull Racing in the championship race.
