Mick Schumacher is out at Haas, but he still has a chance to be racing in F1 next season

• Haas announced that Nico Hulkenberg will replace Mick Schumacher next season.
• This was the last expected vacancy for the 2023 F1 driver lineup.

The final Formula One seat for the 2023 season has been filled ... maybe.

Haas F1 announced on the eve of the season's final race that Mick Schumacher is out after two seasons and will be replaced by former F1 driver Nico Hulkenberg.

"I would like to thank Mick for his contribution to the team over the past couple of years," Team Principal Guenther Steiner said in a statement. "While choosing to go in separate directions for the future, the entire team wishes Mick well for the next steps in his career path.

The move is not a surprise, but the team did drag it out for a while as they seemingly went back and forth on whether to keep Schumacher, the son of seven-time F1 champ Michael Schumacher.

A decision was originally expected during the summer break, but that was delayed.

Team owner Gene Haas later said the team was waiting to see if Schumacher could improve and start to score points. Haas was also critical of how much money the driver cost the team with his wrecks.

"I think Mick has got a lot of potential," Haas said. "But, you know, he costs a fortune, and he's wrecked a lot of cars that have cost us a lot of money that we just don't have. Now, if you bring us some points, and you are [Max] Verstappen and you wreck cars, we'll deal with it. But when you are in the back, and you wreck cars, that's very difficult."

The most recent wreck came during the first practice session for the Japanese Grand Prix and was also the most perplexing. While the track was wet, Schumacher lost control and crashed into a barrier after the session had ended, and he was returning to the garage area.

Schumacher still has an outside shot at remaining in F1

At 23, Schumacher's most obvious landing spot in 2023 is as a reserve driver for another F1 team. A recent report from the German magazine Bild said Mercedes boss Toto Wolff would not rule out Schumacher as a reserve driver in 2023, saying, "I make no secret of the fact that the Schumacher family belongs to Mercedes and that we appreciate Mick very much."

McLaren driver Daniel Ricciardo has also been linked to Mercedes as a reserve driver. However, recent reports suggest Ricciardo could be closer to returning to Red Bull as their backup.

Beyond a reserve role, there is still an outside chance Schumacher will be one of the 20 drivers on the grid in 2023.

Williams recently announced that American Logan Sargeant would be promoted from their driver academy to replace the departing Nicholas Latifi. However, that move is contingent on Sargeant qualifying for an F1 Super License.

If Sargeant fails to earn his license, Schumacher could be in line to take the seat and race alongside Alex Albon in 2023.

Before Sargeant was announced for the role, team boss Jost Capito confirmed that Schumacher was an option and spoke highly of the young German driver.

"Yes, of course," Capito said when asked if Schumacher was a candidate. "Mick is an option. He also deserves to stay in Formula 1. We'll see if that happens, but he's definitely an option for us."

Sargeant, who is currently third in the F2 standings with one race remaining, must finish sixth or better in the final standings to earn a Super License required for F1. Sargeant has a 12-point lead over the seventh-place driver, making it likely that he will secure his license if he can finish the race.

The required license uses a point system based on how a driver performs in other series, with additional points awarded for participating in F1 practice sessions.

Schumacher is currently 16th in the F1 standings with 12 points. He has failed to score a point in the past 10 races.