What’s more dramatic than the story of the return of the prodigal son? The drama happened at Haas this season. It wasn’t the kind of drama they had expected or would appreciate, but they dealt with it. And it looks like it has been a blessing in disguise for them.

The American team entered the fray in 2016. Their time in F1 hasn’t been as great as they would have liked. In their 6 seasons, their highest finish in the Constructor’s Championship has been a P5 with Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen at the helm in 2018.

Firmly a back-of-the-gird team now, Haas had two young talents on its roster for the 2022 season, Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher. Mazepin also brought in valuable sponsorships with him in the form of Uralkali.

However, due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict, Haas decided to terminate its contract with Nikita Mazepin and his father’s company, Uralkali. This brought Magnussen back into Haas, to partner with Schumacher Jr.

What looked like panic recruitment at the time has worked out well for the team. 

Haas trackside engineering director, Ayao Komatsu, said “Quite a lot [positive influence of Kevin on Mick]. You know, when Kevin came back in Bahrain for testing, he was a different person to two years ago. He is so open, so cherishing the challenge, and he’s very, you know, open to sharing information as well, so Mick benefited quite a lot from having a reference.”

“And then he was always close to scoring points, but he couldn’t get there. But once he got them in Silverstone, that was a huge step. So yeah, he improved a lot this year.”

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Being the young German’s first non-rookie partner, Kevin will have to shoulder a lot of responsibility on the team and he has shown that he can do it.

What lies ahead for the Haas F1 team in terms of driver roulette?

Earlier in the season, there were strong rumors of Guenther Steiner planning to replace Mick for the 2023 lineup.

Mick has, however, managed to stage a fantastic turnaround. In the last 5 races, he has out-qualified his experienced teammate 3 times. His performances have shown substantial improvement in the second half of the season.

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Steiner was asked about Schumacher’s chances at Haas next season given his recent turnaround. He said “Absolutely, if you are working with somebody for two years, that’s an advantage. The incumbent has always got the advantage, it’s a home advantage.”

“If you can have somebody you work with for two years, it’s better than bringing somebody new in, because as I always said you don’t have the learning time.”

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The 23-year-old has a lot of talent and comes from a racing heritage. He must use the rest of the season to improve if he wants to stay among the names to watch out for in the future.