Steiner denies: Hulkenberg hasn’t signed with us yet

Gunther Steiner has denied that Haas has already made a deal with the experienced Nico Hulkenberg for 2023. According to the striking team boss, he is still in talks with various drivers and is only looking at drivers who have a super license.

With French media reporting that Pierre Gasly will definitely drive for Alpine next year, with Nyck de Vries taking his place at AlphaTauri, sources in Germany claim a deal with Haas before 2023 is almost a certainty for Hulkenberg.

He would then replace Mick Schumacher, who responded when asked about the status of his talks with Haas about keeping his race seat: “The status is that of course we will announce it if there is anything to announce.”

Best decision for Haas

Team boss Steiner agrees that his shortlist of candidates for 2023 is still being reviewed. He told Sky Germany: “Our list includes drivers with a super license and we look at them all. Nico is one of the drivers on it and we are in talks with. But Mick is also on the list, otherwise we would have made a decision. We have yet to see what the best decision is for the team in the future.”

He insists there is no deadline for the decision on the drivers for 2023, and the talks he is having with team owner Gene Haas. When asked by the newspaper Bild am Sonntag whether Haas is Schumacher’s first choice, the 23-year-old German replied: “That’s not news either.”

In any case, the uncertainty about his future at Haas does not cause unrest, Schumacher emphasized: “No, that does not distract us. I think the team knows what I can do and where we want to go. We have all the data, so the facts are on the table. Dealing with pressure has always been a part of my life and my sports career. I like to feel that pressure and turn it into extra motivation.”