Who will replace Nikita Mazepin at Haas? A look at the potential candidates including Pietro Fittipaldi and Nico Hulkenberg
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Nikita Mazepin has been sacked by the Haas Formula1 team and ever since his departure, the question has been making the rounds as to who is going to replace him at the team.
There have been many names thrown into the mix so far but we are going to look at the most likely drivers that are currently available in the driver market and are in line to join Mick Schumacher as the second driver for the American-based Haas Formula1 team for the 2022 season.
Pietro Fittiapldi
Pietro Fittipaldi the grandson of former world champion Emerson is the candidate who is at the moment in pole position to secure the second seat at Haas and also Fittipaldi is the current reserve driver of the Haas Formula1 team. So appointing him as the second driver alongside Mick seems to be the most obvious choice.
Fittipaldi has previously driven twice in Formula1 with Haas and one of those times was when Roman Grosjean was involved in a big accident at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Fittipaldi’s rising career took a steep downward curve when during a qualifying session in the World Endurance Championship race in Spa he broke both his legs. Ever since then his career has come to a halt and has not been given a racing seat for a full season. However, all this could change this year if Haas decides to show trust in him for the 2022 season of Formula1.
Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg is another candidate who could be on the wish list of the Haas Formula1 team as he has a wealth of experience when it comes to driving in Formula1. The German has previously started in a whopping number of 179 Grand Prix’s for various teams.
Hulkenberg is currently operating as the reserve driver for the Aston Martin Formula1 team and before the 2021 season was also on the list of the mighty RedBull to be their driver. Hulkenberg has a lot of pedigree in Formula1 but it is not very likely that he is going to get the Haas seat as he is currently contracted by Aston Martin and negotiations could take a lot of time, which, unfortunately, Haas doesn’t have.
Jehan Daruvala
Jehan is another interesting option that the Haas Formula1 team has on their table, currently, the Indian origin Jehan is participating in Formula2 with previous season champions Prema racing and is doing well for the team. Jehan recently during a test session in Bahrain set the second-fastest time of all the participants.
Haas has been known to give opportunities to Formula2 drivers and with a seat now being open at Haas, they could very well look at Jehan as an option. One thing that could prove to be a roadblock is the fact that Jehan has no experience of Formula1 and this could prove to be a stumbling block for his arrival in Formula1.
Antonio Giovinazzi
After Pietro, Giovinazzi is the next most likely candidate to replace Nikita Mazepin at Haas, and also during the last season, Antonio has several times said that he wants to come back to Formula1.
If Haas decides to get him for the 2022 season the deal will not pose a complication as in his current deal with Dragon racing, there is s clause that states that “If a Formula1 team comes calling, he would be allowed to leave.”
So it would make a lot of sense for Haas to go for Giovinazzi who has previous experience of racing in Formula1. Experience comes in handy during tough situations and this factor could help Giovinazzi in getting the seat alongside Mick Schumacher.
Oscar Piastri
The young Alpine reserve driver Oscar Piastri is another choice that Haas has got on their table. Oscar is a young Australian prodigy who is only 20 years old and so far in his racing career has won Formula Renault Euro Cup, Formula3, and Formula2 and that too in consecutive years.
It is not easy for a young driver to win back-to-back championships and given that Oscar has done it, it speaks volumes of the talent that the young Piastri has got in him. Last season he was racing for Alpine in Formula2 alongside the new Alfa Romeo driver Guanyu Zhou who he was able to beat in the championship last year.
So if Haas is looking to give chance to another rookie for the 2022 season then, Oscar is currently the best choice in the driver market.
Who do you think is going to get the seat at Haas for the 2022 season of Formula1?
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Rishabh Negi
(3244 Articles Published)