The American team keeps their line-up unchanged for the upcoming season, with new technical regulations due to take place.

Uralkali Haas F1 Team has officially announced the extension of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for the 2022 season, giving the opportunity for both young drivers to grow and develop their talents further. Fielding an all-rookie line-up, the team are currently enduring their worst season since their entry to Formula 1, having no championship points and constantly being the last qualifiers of the grid, a combination of their drivers’ inexperience and an uncompetitive car with a mediocre powertrain.

Despite a rocky start to the season, Mazepin and Schumacher have made significant improvements to both their qualifying and race pace, as well as reducing their on-track rookie errors, although they still clash with one another once in a few races. The pair’s improvements have convinced Haas enough to retain them them both for an additional year, and will strive to return the American squad back to the midfield where they started off.

Team Principal – Guenther Steiner: “We knew we wanted continuity behind the wheel in 2022 and I’m happy to confirm exactly that with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin competing for Uralkali Haas F1 Team next year. 2021 has afforded both drivers the opportunity to learn Formula 1 – and as rookies – they’ve done a lot of that this year. It’s been a tough season for sure with the package we’ve had, but at the same time they’ve both embraced the challenge and worked closely with the team to learn our processes and adapt to the rigors of a Formula 1 campaign and all that brings – both internally and externally. Now as we look ahead to the 2022 season, we’re confident we can move forward as a team and give Mick and Nikita a competitive race package to make the next step in their Formula 1 careers.”

Mick Schumacher: “We knew we wanted continuity behind the wheel in 2022 and I’m happy to confirm exactly that with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin competing for Uralkali Haas F1 Team next year. 2021 has afforded both drivers the opportunity to learn Formula 1 – and as rookies – they’ve done a lot of that this year. It’s been a tough season for sure with the package we’ve had, but at the same time they’ve both embraced the challenge and worked closely with the team to learn our processes and adapt to the rigors of a Formula 1 campaign and all that brings – both internally and externally. Now as we look ahead to the 2022 season, we’re confident we can move forward as a team and give Mick and Nikita a competitive race package to make the next step in their Formula 1 careers.”

Nikita Mazepin: “I’m very excited for next year, the new car and simply just to get the opportunity with Haas F1 Team and grow together with them. I think we will come out strong next year.”

The official confirmation leaves Alfa Romeo’s second seat as the final vacant spot. While F2 star Guanyu Zhou is strongly linked to the team, Antonio Giovinazzi is doing his absolute best to prove that he deserves to stay another year.

Featured Images – Uralkali Haas F1 Team