Who should get the second seat at Haas?

Who could be partnering Kevin Magnussen in 2023?

The grid for the 2023 Formula 1 season has been 90-95% decided. Alpine and Alpha Tauri have allotted Pierre Gasly and Nyck De Vries respectively. While Williams have made up their mind with Logan Sargeant. But Haas still hasn't figured out who is going to fill the second seat next year. So with only two races left in the season, we take a look at some of the most realistic options Haas has considered and approached.

Mick Schumacher

Carrying the burden of expectations of his surname, Mick got an F1 seat in 2021 when Haas signed him up after winning Formula 2. The car that year wasn't anywhere near competing for anything. So bad, that during the entire year, Haas could only qualify for Q2 once. Mick was the one to do it in the Turkish Grand Prix qualifying. The team completed the season with zero points.

With regulation changes, Haas stirred up as an upgrade to previous selves and showed that they can be in the midfield. After the sacking of Nikita Mazepin, team principal Guenther Steiner was quick to call up Kevin Magnussen to race for Haas this year. Which turned out to be a charm as, in the very first race, Kevin finished P5. In the following race in Jeddah, he finished P9, and other points finished.

Kevin's immediate delivery in performance mounted pressure on the young Mick Schumacher. He was easily able to defeat Mazepin last year but his inferiority to Magnussen was putting his skills into real question marks - given that Kevin was out of F1 when Mick was working with the team.

Mick did start putting in some great performances mid-season. At Silverstone, he finished P8 in a battle down to the wire with Verstappen. In the following fixture, he had a good outing in Austria and racked up some good points. After the summer break, Mick has found himself in really unfavourable conditions where everyone at Haas keeps pointing him out. The strategies for him haven't done it for him either. He doesn't get enough TV coverage but he is always tumbling down the order due to strategy mismatches.

Based on the comments of Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas, the German is clearly not in the good books of them. Which only indicates that Haas will have a new driver in their car.

Nico Hulkenberg

As Steiner has said multiple times, he likes to work with experienced drivers. He has worked with Kevin Magnussen before that's why he was quick to pounce on him when a seat opened up in his team. As it stands, Aston Martin reserve driver Nico Hulkenberg is the front-runner for the seat. The 35-year-old German has been an involved individual in the paddock as the reserve driver since 2020. As a reserve driver, he put up some good shifts in the Racing Point and Aston Martin.

He has raced for Williams, Sauber, Force India and Renault in the past. He has a demeaning image as a Formula 1 as he hasn't ever stepped on a podium. But when he teamed with Carlos Sainz and Sergio Perez (both currently driving for top teams), he defeated both of them. This is probably the best record to showcase his skills. Given his long experience in Formula 1, it's not a shock to see why Steiner is considering Nico Hulkenberg as his best option.

Daniel Ricciardo

It was long clear that Daniel Ricciardo won't be a part of McLaren in 2023. Soon after, 2021 Formula 2 champion Oscar Piastri was announced to replace his countryman in McLaren.

Given his poor form this year, Daniel Ricciardo's chances for a seat in 2023 seem slim. He even mentioned that he doesn't see himself in the next year's grid. However, Haas considered him as an option to replace Mick Schumacher but the thing is not in the picture anymore.

It is now just a formality away that the Aussie won't be a part of the starting F1 grid next year.

Reserve Drivers

Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi has been the Haas reserve driver for three years in a row. He has got some outings on the track on several occasions. But it's highly unlikely that he will get the drive next year. Former Alfa Romeo driver and Ferrari reserve Antonio Giovinazzi also got the opportunity to drive the Haas as an audition. But his FP1 outing was cut short when he spun out at the Circuit of the Americas. Robert Schwartzman is also one of the options for Haas but he hasn't ever been that close to a seat.

Considering everything that the owner and team principal likes, Nico Hulkenberg seems to be the best choice. But at the same time, it will be unfair on Mick Schumacher to be stripped of a seat. However, one more thing that goes against him is that over the two years, he cost the most amount due to car wreckage. Considering that Haas isn't the richest of the teams, this is not where they would like to spend money.