Haas team boss Guenther Steiner did not like having to tell Mick Schumacher that the team would continue without the young German. All in all, Steiner considered it part of his job. Schumacher drove about eight million dollars in damage, and did not achieve the desired results to continue the collaboration with the American team. Steiner felt he was beating a dead horse, and that had to change.
After Schumacher’s debut season, Haas had fairly high expectations for the 23-year-old. Unfortunately, the 2022 season did not go smoothly for the former Haas driver either. Within two seasons with the American formation, Schumacher has been responsible for about eight million dollars in damage. On the other hand, he has only been able to score points in two of the 44 Formula 1 races, and that could not continue. “I sat down with him and explained that we had to move on with a more experienced driver,” Steiner told Inews.
‘It’s part of my job, it’s not fun to do. I don’t enjoy it at all. But you have to approach it professionally,” the Italian continues. ‘Dealing with a Schumacher is not easy, as you can imagine. He handled it very maturely. He was not happy. I think he should have seen it coming, as he is a smart boy. He had two years, but we didn’t get what we wanted. I had to change something. You can’t beat a dead horse,” said the Haas team boss.
Steiner has often faced hot fires: ‘Didn’t want to destroy his career’
Making the choice to let Schumacher go was not an easy one. Steiner has had to make such a choice before, namely with Nikita Mazepin. Haas had to make a decision when the Russian war with Ukraine started in February 2022, as the team employed a Russian driver, as well as Russian title sponsor Uralkali. ‘We didn’t know what to do with Nikita (Mazepin, ed.). I didn’t want to destroy his career,” Steiner explains.
“There was a long run-up to the invasion. I hoped they (Russia, ed.) wouldn’t do it. Then we woke up one morning and they had invaded Ukraine. What the hell happened? But when it turned out that wasn’t going to stop, we made the decision a few weeks later that he wouldn’t start the season with us.’ And so said, so done. Kevin Magnussen therefore made a return to the American team, and that comeback was successful. The new Haas duo, consisting of Magnussen and Hülkenberg, will take up the challenge again this coming weekend.
