A year on the sidelines "would be fatal" to Mick Schumacher's Formula 1 career, it has been claimed.
The German is in his second season with Haas, but at the moment there is no guarantee of a third. His current contract expires at the end of the year, along with a handful of other drivers who face uncertain futures in the sport.
Haas chief Guenther Steiner said this week that talks have not yet begun with the driver, who is a member of the Ferrari driver development programme. He could remain with the team that gave him his F1 bow, though there have been suggestions he could be moved up to Alfa Romeo – and there is no guarantee he will have a race seat at all.
