The last time Nico Hulkenberg was in F1 as a full-time driver was in 2019 when he was with Renault. Earlier this month, it was revealed that the German driver would replace compatriot Mick Schumacher at Haas in 2023, in a move that has divided the F1 community.
Schumacher had a very difficult 2022 campaign, which started off with him making plenty of mistakes that led to crashes. Haas don’t have deep pockets and the huge bills from those crashes did not do Schumacher any favors. He made up for his errors in the later stages, scoring points in both Silverstone and Austria. By then, however, it seems as though Haas had already made up their mind.
We’re pleased to welcome @HulkHulkenberg to Haas F1 Team as our driver for the 2023 FIA Formula 1 season, alongside Kevin Magnussen.#HaasF1 https://t.co/GfyiUWLlYV
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) November 17, 2022
Ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi, the American outfit revealed that Hulkenberg will replace Schumacher in 2023. Fans are not happy to see Schumacher being forced out of F1, but Hulkenberg does not have any sympathy for him.
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Mick Schumacher isn’t the first driver to be replaced because of poor performances
Hulkenberg will be one of the most experienced drivers on the grid in 2023, but the 35-year-old does not have an F1 podium result to his name. A lot of fans question his appointment to the team over a driver who is at the start of his promising career.
Hulkenberg, meanwhile, insists that a driver simply hast to get results in order to keep his seat. He himself was a victim of the same back when Renault axed him at the end of the 2019 season. This is why he does not feel bad for Schumacher, citing this as part of the sport.
Hulkenberg: “When you race, you have to convince your team with your performance. And if you don’t deliver, the team will replace you. It’s no different with the engineers and with all other employees. That’s why it happens again and again.” https://t.co/wBvTAwTWVT
— Junaid #JB17 (@JunaidSamodien_) November 21, 2022
“That’s part of Formula 1,” he said. “We’re all fighting for our careers. Many drivers have been replaced by other drivers with more experience. When you race, you have to convince your team with your performance. And if you don’t deliver, the team will replace you.”
F1 grid for 2023 season is now complete
Most of the F1 driver line ups for next season were decided well in advance. Haas and Williams, meanwhile, left it late. The former revealed their complete driver line up just before the Abu Dhabi GP last week whereas Williams let fans know about it on Monday. American sensation Logan Sargent will replace Nicholas Latifi at the British outfit, and team up with Alexander Albon in 2023.
There has been a lot of reshuffling of drivers among teams leading up to the upcoming campaign. 2-time World Champion Fernando Alonso will move to Aston Martin and Pierre Gasly will replace him at Alpine. To fill in the void left behind by the Frenchman, AlphaTauri have brought in Mercedes’ reserve Nyck de Vries.
It’s also expected that Daniel Ricciardo will join Red Bull as a reserve driver next year.
