Giovinazzi and Schumacher on track at the same time in battle for seat

At the first free practice session in Austin this weekend, Antonio Giovinazzi will take a seat in Kevin Magnussen's car. For the Italian, the practice session will be a job interview for Mick Schumacher' s seat at Haas next year.

The line-up for Haas next season has been discussed many times recently. Magnussen was already sure of a seat for next year, but things remained quiet around Schumacher for a long time. Meanwhile, team boss Guenther Steiner - who is not mincing his words anyway - has expressed his frustration with Schumacher, a team owner Gene Haas has also indicated that Schumacher needs to do better if he wants to stay with the team.

Schumacher has not yet officially lost his seat. Talks still seem to be ongoing. But the team is in the meantime keeping the lines warm with possible replacements. Steiner already invited Daniel Ricciardo to call him about a possible partnership, and also confirmed that talks are being held with Nico Hülkenberg. So the stakes are high for Schumacher in the last few races if he wants to keep his seat.

Giovinazzi is another possible successor to Schumacher

And then there is Giovinazzi. The Italian drove at Alfa Romeo from 2019 to 2021 but did not manage to make a tremendously strong impression there. He finished the seasons in 17th place twice and 18th once. This season, he is a reserve driver at Ferrari - just like Schumacher. Giovinazzi has made no secret of his desire to become a regular driver again, and seems to have his eyes set on Schumacher's seat.

Earlier this season, he succeeded briefly. At the first free practice session at Monza, Giovinazzi was already driving for Haas, in Schumacher's car no less. There he finished in 18th place, half a second slower than Magnussen.

Eyes set on FP1

So at the first free practice session in Austin, Schumacher and Giovinazzi will be on track at the same time, in the same car. For the German, it might be the last chance to prove he is worth his seat. For the Italian, it is the ultimate opportunity to put himself in the spotlight at Haas and possibly win a permanent contract. An unusual situation, but a duel will actually be fought during practice before the race.