Four F1 stars under pressure from Mick Schumacher as Haas boss makes confession

Haas boss Guenther Steiner recently described Mick Schumacher’s future as ‘up in the air’. The youngster is one of numerous F1 stars with an uncertain outlook, and his presence could put four others under pressure as the hunt for 2023 seats heats up…

Daniel Ricciardo

The eight-time Grand Prix winner must not know where to put himself this season. McLaren team principal Zak Brown suggested that there could be ways to void his contract ahead of schedule as he languishes behind team-mate Lando Norris, and Ricciardo felt compelled to take to social media and assure fans that he would be seeing out his duties with the team. 

But it looks as though F2 champion Oscar Piastri is being lined up to drive for McLaren next season, which threatens to leave Ricciardo in the lurch. The Aussie could therefore be under pressure from Schumacher as two of the most sought-after drivers compete to nail down a seat. 

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Yuki Tsunoda

Any driver into the final year of their contract will be biting their nails at this stage of the season, and Tsunoda is one of them. While his tenacity has appeared in flashes during his one-and-a-bit years with AlphaTauri, he has consistently trailed team-mate Pierre Gasly in the Drivers’ Championship. 

This season is no exception having racked up 11 points to Gasly’s 16. With the season now past the halfway mark, Tsunoda is sure to be feeling the pressure. 

Guanyu Zhou

As a driver in one of the strongest teams that Schumacher has a realistic chance of joining – aside from Alpine who have a vacancy of their own – Alfa Romeo star Zhou could be on the chopping block when his contract runs out at the end of the season. 

He has endured his fair share of bad luck during an up-and-down rookie year, which sees him trailing Valtteri Bottas in the points standings by 46 to five. The only thing to save the Chinese star may be that he is so new to the sport, Alfa might not want to cut ties prematurely.