Mick Schumacher was let go from Haas after a poor 2-year spell. However, cracks had started to develop between him and team principal Guenther Steiner during the course of the 2022 season.
Mick was promoted to the F1 seat with the American team in 2021. However, he only managed to secure points on 2 of the 43 race starts with Haas, both scored in the 2022 British and Austrian GP.
The German’s constant crashes piled up a hefty expense for the team. He set back the team almost $4 Million in collision and damages, which triggered Steiner to replace him the following season.
2022 Destructors World Championship pic.twitter.com/nr3i1nPZ9p
— sominslc (@sominslc1) September 28, 2022
Guenther Steiner on Firing Mick Schumacher
Mick Schumacher and Guenther Steiner’s rocky relationship was visible in Season 5 of Drive To Survive. The Haas boss was visibly frustrated with his crashes and slow, which usually saw Mick finish towards the end of the pack.
From telling the driver, “He does need brakes because he is driving so slow”. By saying, “Mick is free to leave the team if he chooses to do so,” the writing clearly shows differences between the team and the driver.
Steiner reveals that he conveyed to the team owner Gene Haas that he wished to replace the 2020 F2 champion with an experienced driver. And over the winter break, it was decided that Haas would not be extending his contract.
Gunther Steiner says he’s not ashamed about the criticism towards his former driver Mick Schumacher in Netflix’s Drive to Survive 📺
Do you think Gunther’s criticism was too harsh in the episode focusing on Mick? 💬 pic.twitter.com/s9eIst7heD— Motorsport.com (@Motorsport) March 13, 2023
Steiner revealed that he had a difficult conversation with the German towards the end of the season. And when his teammate Kevin Magnussen managed to secure a pole in Brazil with equal machinery, the decision was already made for the driver.
Steiner said, “I sat down with him and explained that we needed to bring the team forward with an experienced driver. It’s part of my job. It is not a nice thing to do but you just have to be professional about it.”
Michael Schumacher was dragged in to make sense of Mick Schumacher’s exit
Guenther Stiner has received a lot of backlash over the team’s mistreatment of Mick Schumacher. The team’s toxic environment and Steiner’s brutal remarks on the youngster made it difficult for him to perform.
Steiner says he expected the backlash as Mick was the son of 7-time World Champion Michael Schumacher. And the Schumacher family name has a lot of lure in the sport.
He said, “Dealing with a Schumacher isn’t easy.” But Mick dealt with the situation maturely, claims his former boss. He added, “He was grown up about it. He wasn’t happy. I would say he saw the writing on the wall. He is a clever kid.”
Steiner believes there is no need to apologise for his remarks on the former Haas driver. And that Gene Haas stands by his decision to let the driver go.
He added, “He had two years. We didn’t get where we wanted to, and I had to make some changes. You cannot beat up a dead horse.” Mick was replaced by Nico Hulkenberg, who returned to the sport after 2 seasons. The former Haas driver has joined Mercedes as their reserve driver for the 2023 season and is looking for a re-entry into the sport.
Also Read: Guenther Steiner Responds to Tormenting “Dead Man Walking” Mick Schumacher in Haas
