Haas delay Schumacher talks - F1 2023 driver market becomes a game of poker

Schumacher was due to resolve his future during the summer break but Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has decided to delay talks, report German broadcaster RTL.

That decision is because Haas believe they are Schumacher’s only hope of remaining in F1 in the 2023 season, so they are playing hard ball in contract negotiations.

The son of the legendary Michael Schumacher is contracted until the end of this season.

Sebastian Vettel tipped Schumacher as his own replacement at Aston Martin, when he retires at the conclusion of 2022.

That option has since disappeared because Aston Martin have confirmed Fernando Alonso will move across from Alpine.

In turn, Alpine are considering Daniel Ricciardo while Pierre Gasly may be an unlikelier option. Ricciardo has been told by McLaren that they will replace him with Oscar Piastri next season.

This wave of movement in the 2023 F1 driver market has sent shockwaves through the entire grid and Haas’ decision to delay talks with Schumacher is a direct result.

There are currently five unconfirmed seats among F1 teams for next season. Haas, AlphaTauri, Alfa Romeo, Alpine and Williams each have a spot yet to be decided.

Haas don’t believe that Schumacher is a realistic target for any of their rivals, so their hand in the negotiations has never been stronger.

Schumacher is reportedly one of only four F1 drivers who earn less than £1 million per season.

His only other option for 2023, apart from Haas, would be as a reserve driver for Ferrari, RTL report.

Schumacher has endured an up-and-down season so far, drawing criticism for Steiner for his amount of crashes but also scoring back-to-back points at Silverstone and in Austria.

Haas have Kevin Magnussen signed up for next year already.