Haas confirms Schumacher and Mazepin for 2022 F1 season

Haas has confirmed it will keep both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

It means the American team is one of seven teams to keep the same driver line-up as this season, with Red Bull, McLaren, Ferrari, Alpine, Aston Martin and AlphaTauri keeping the same drivers for next year.

Schumacher and Mazepin joined the Haas team for 2021 after a season in Formula 2 in which the former won the championship and the latter finished fifth in the standings with two wins to his name.

Since arriving in F1, neither driver has seen eye-to-eye with numerous on-track battles resulting in tensions arrising between the two, including recent incidents at the Dutch and Italian Grands Prix.

Schumacher has criticised his team-mate’s aggressive actions racing against him that has resulted in contact between them in the last two races though team principal Guenther Steiner maintains both can continue to work together without acrimony.

“We knew we wanted continuity behind the wheel in 2022 and I’m happy to confirm exactly that with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin competing for Uralkali Haas F1 Team next year,” Steiner said.

“2021 has afforded both drivers the opportunity to learn Formula 1 – and as rookies – they’ve done a lot of that this year. It’s been a tough season for sure with the package we’ve had, but at the same time they’ve both embraced the challenge and worked closely with the team to learn our processes and adapt to the rigors of a Formula 1 campaign and all that brings – both internally and externally.

“Now as we look ahead to the 2022 season, we’re confident we can move forward as a team and give Mick and Nikita a competitive race package to make the next step in their Formula 1 careers.”

Schumacher currently has a season-best finish of 12th place at the Hungarian Grand Prix prior to the summer break while Mazepin’s best result of the year came at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with 14th place.

There have been several incidents between the two though that has resulted in tensions between the rookie team-mates. Most recently at the Italian Grand Prix, Mazepin pitched Schumacher into a spin after the safety car restart midway through the race. The German driver ended the afternoon last of the remaining runners while Mazepin’s afternoon was cut short with a retirement.

One race prior, Schumacher was left less than impressed with Mazepin’s defensive driving, with a late block thrown on the main straight resulting in contact and necessitating a stop for repairs for the former.

On the eve of his first F1 home grand prix, Mazepin said that he was excited to continue his career with Haas in 2022 and continue to develop next year.

“I’m very excited for next year, the new car and simply just to get the opportunity with Haas F1 Team and grow together with them. I think we will come out strong next year.”

2020 F2 champion Schumacher said that he was hoping to take advantage of new technical regulations next season that the team has been solely focused on throughout 2021 and continue his development under the Ferrari Driver Academy umbrella.

“By being part of the Formula 1 field, I am living my dream,” Schumacher said. “The first year together with Haas F1 is very exciting and instructive, and I’m sure I can bring all the experience I’ve gained into the coming year.

“New technical regulations, the impressive ambition of the entire Haas F1 team and the support of Ferrari – of course I believe this will bring us closer to the field in the 2022 season and we will be able to fight for points. I’m looking forward to being part of a team that is getting stronger, and I’ll do everything I can from my side to move us forward.

“Finally, I would like to thank the Ferrari Driver Academy for the trust they continue to give me and the support they have shown me over the years.”

Haas’s announcement means that the only seat left to confirm for 2022 is the Alfa Romeo seat alongside Valtteri Bottas, with current F2 driver Guanyu Zhou the favourite to take the seat.