F1, Haas: Ralf Schumacher fails Ricciardo and Hulkenberg

Ralf Schumacher sees no alternative to grandson Mick

Ralf Schumacher, Michael’s brother and Mick’s uncle, spoke in an interview with ‘Sky Sports’.

The former driver had his say about who should drive the second Haas single-seater next season, alongside Kevin Magnussen.

“Mick has done everything he has to do to drive for Haas in Formula 1 in 2023, even Gene Haas and Gunther Steiner will think hard and realize that there is no alternative to Mick. Daniel Ricciardo is not, and Nico Hulkenberg is already on his way to retirement,” said the uncle of the 1999 class.

“Based on his performance and improvements this year, one can see how much potential we can still expect from Mick. As a result, there is no alternative to him. That Mick, like Ricciardo, will be a replacement driver for another team next season and then return to a permanent position in 2024, of course, is always conceivable. But it is obviously better for his development if he will always sit in a Formula 1 cockpit,” Ralf Schumacher continued.

Finally, a comment on the last Grand Prix run, the one at the U.S. circuit in Austin: “In Austin Mick was very strong and was ahead of Kevin Magnussen for a long time. But then he went backwards. However, Gunther Steiner assessed the situation well. He said Mick was very fast for a long time, but then his race became difficult for various reasons. He defended Mick, and I think that is a very good thing.”