‘Three-way contract’ behind Schumacher’s new Haas F1 deal delay

Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael, made his F1 debut for Haas this season after agreeing a “multi-year” deal with the American outfit off the back of his title-winning exploits in Formula 2.

But the 22-year-old German recently indicated that his deal to continue racing for Haas in 2022 had not been finalised.

Speaking at the British Grand Prix, Steiner revealed that initial agreements are in place between Haas and Schumacher's parent team Ferrari, adding that the deal just “needs a few t’s crossed and a few i’s dotted” before it is completed.

“There’s a few things which just need to be sorted out,” Steiner explained.

“It’s a three-way contract obviously because he’s got one with Ferrari. There’s needs to be a few ‘t’s crossed and a few ‘i’s dotted and then we will get there.

“Mick is right in saying he’s not signed, there is agreements in place but because it’s a three-way it’s always more difficult than when it is a straightforward one-to-one contract.”

Schumacher’s work ethic and attitude have impressed Haas, despite the Ferrari junior facing the prospect of driving uncompetitive and underdeveloped machinery throughout his rookie campaign.

Haas is set to continue with an unchanged line-up going into F1’s rules overhaul in 2022, with Steiner confirming that Nikita Mazepin’s deal is already finalised: “Everything is signed there, everything is fine.”

Mazepin was always expected to be locked in to a 2022 seat given that his father Dmitry’s Uralkali company is the team’s title sponsor.