F1 News: Mick Schumacher ends his ties with Ferrari
Mick Schumacher and Ferrari have taken the decision to cut ties and end their partnership together, daying back to Schumacher's time in Formula 2.
There has been speculation for several months that Schumacher could leave the Ferrari Driver Academy, with the Scuderia seemingly uninterested in offering him a new contract.
Whilst Ferrari played an instrumental role in securing Schumacher's seat with Haas F1 Team in 2021, the eagerness to keep him in the sport has subsided since then.
Nico Hulkenberg was selected to replace Schumacher at Haas, leaving him without a set on the 2023 grid.
All indicators suggest that the 23-year-old will make the switch to Mercedes for next season, taking the role of reserve driver at the German squad.
It remains unclear whether Schumacher can return to a full-time role in Formula 1, but there is little doubt that his chances of achieving this with Ferrari are gone.
The Italian squad released this statement to announce the decision:
"Scuderia Ferrari and Mick Schumacher have mutually decided not to extend their collaboration after working together for four years, with Mick having been part of the Ferrari Driver Academy.
"Mick joined the Ferrari family through the young driver programme in 2019 and, as an FDA driver, competed in Formula 2 for two seasons with the Prema Racing team. He won three races and secured the 2020 championship title.
"The following year, he made his Formula 1 debut with the Haas F1 Team. He raced for the team for two years, starting in 43 races and scoring 12 points, finishing 6th in this year’s Austrian Grand Prix and 8th in the British Grand Prix...
"Scuderia Ferrari thanks Mick for these four years and the many kilometres covered together and wishes him all the best for the future."