Mick Schumacher fate is decided - but is a secret...

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has finally confirmed that he has settled on his duo for next season, filling the only remaining spot in the F1 2023 driver line-up, but he won't publicise his call yet.

Schumacher’s contract expires at the end of 2022 and he could be replaced by Nico Hulkenberg. His teammate Kevin Magnussen, meanwhile, had his finest day in F1 by earning pole position for the sprint at Interlagos. Magnussen finished the sprint in eighth, Schumacher was 12th.

• F1 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix - Sprint Race Results

Asked if he had decided about whether to keep Schumacher, Steiner replied: “Yes, you’re right.

“We are just sorting out details - how we will do what we are going to do.

“Expect the announcement some time next week. I’m not telling you the day because then everybody will be waiting for that day – but it will be coming next week.”

Steiner reflected on Schumacher’s performance in Friday qualifying which put him at the back of the grid for the Saturday sprint - possibly the worst time for him to register a poor result.

“I really felt almost sorry for him because he did a good job in Q1 before he went out,” Steiner said.

“The first two runs were very good and then with the dry tyres, he just couldn’t get the feeling. He lost a little bit of temperature when some people overtook him on his out-lap and then couldn’t get the temperature back in and then lost a little bit of confidence, started to slide, and that is what is happening – it just didn’t work for him.

“But otherwise, the whole season, we all know he had very good moments and very bad moments. It’s an up and down. I think he got more consistent, he obviously improved.

“The beginning of the season was very tough, when he was thrown in the deep end with a better car, with a very good team-mate – it was a little bit of an ‘okay, this is now Formula 1 really’. But then he recovered and got better.”

Steiner has repeatedly criticised Schumacher this season for the quantity of his crashes. He has also repeatedly implied that he wanted his driver to have more experience, and he publicly courted Daniel Ricciardo.

Are Mercedes a Plan B for Schumacher?

The Haas driver is being considered by Mercedes as their reserve driver for next season, according to Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport.

Ricciardo is thinking about whether to join Mercedes or Red Bull in a reserve role. If he opts for Red Bull, Mercedes could then go for Schumacher if he is released by Haas.