Mick Schumacher's future at Haas appears in serious doubt following a brutal assessment of his performance in Monaco.
The German driver, who is still seeking his first ever point in F1, caused the race to be red flagged after a harrowing crash at the Swimming Pool Chicane. His vehicle split in two upon impact, meaning an inevitable big repair bill for the American team.
It wasn't the first unsavoury track incident for the 23-year-old this year. In Saudi Arabia, he was forced to miss the actual race after he careered into a concrete barrier in qualifying. The incidents have compounded a difficult start to the F1 career of Schumacher, son of legendary seven-time world champion Michael. He joined Gunther Steiner's team for the 2021 campaign, notching a season best finish of 13th in Azerbaijan.
The new technical regulations introduced this year, designed to make racing more competitive, raised hopes that he, and Haas, would challenge regularly for top-10 slot. But while new teammate Kevin Magnusson, a replacement for the axed Nikita Mazepin, has 15 points to his name Schumacher's best effort was 11th in the opening race in Bahrain.
And in Steiner's post-race press release from Monaco, he didn't hide his disdain at his driver's latest mishap: "It’s not very satisfactory having a big crash again," he stated.
Indeed, with the budget cap for all teams now reduced, according to the-race.com Schumacher has already cost Haas over $1 million in 2022. And Steiner offered no assurances over his future by adding: "We need to see how we move forward from here."
Schumacher is considered a likeable figure on the circuit, and within his team, but the two crashes this year are anything but isolated. He now has racked up six big accidents in 29 Grand Prix weekends.
Steiner would have also noted the recent comments of Aston Martin boss Mike Krack, who was asked by reporters about rumours of Schumacher replacing compatriot Sebastian Vettel : "I don’t know enough about the details of his team and environment to judge," he replied.
"We clearly have our way that we want to continue with Sebastian. We'll see about everything else at a later date." With doubts escalating over Vettel's own future, Steiner's apparent mood suggests he would not stand in Schumacher's way if the chance of a move materialised.
The Switzerland-born star remains a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and is a reserve driver for the Scuderia this year. The Italian team is where his father won five of his seven world titles.
The pressure will now be on his ahead of next Sunday's race in Baku, Azerbaijan. And following Steiner's comments, the German can ill afford to rack up anymore hefty repair bills.
