Guenther Steiner has finally had his first interaction with his former driver, Mick Schumacher. And it was tough, to say the least. Steiner was asked about his relations with his former Haas employee, who continues to roam the grid in Mercedes colors.
Haas and especially Steiner have been blamed for Schumacher’s infamous short-lived career. Over the course of the two years, this relationship slowly deteriorated till it became painful to watch. Team principals, fans, and other drivers have openly admitted that the young blood would have thrived in a more healthy environment.
The 2022 season has come to an end and with that a chapter as well. I want to take this moment to thank everyone at Haas F1 for all their hard work over the last two years.
I’ve been able to meet incredible people and have built friendships that I will cherish for life. 1/3 pic.twitter.com/Nd4Myl7rIU— Mick Schumacher (@SchumacherMick) November 21, 2022
Towards the end, the toxicity reached new heights. In the very public media battle, the two exchanged some harsh words, while the majority came from the boss man.
Steiner reacts to bullying accusations
Steiner narrates the events of his interaction with Mick Schumacher. Having crossed paths the previous weekend, the boss said hello. “We didn’t speak to each other.” Softening the blow, he joked about how it’s a good thing because of the large distance between their garages and the washrooms.
Behind the scenes pic.twitter.com/Re8AXcqm5i
— Mick Schumacher (@SchumacherMick) February 23, 2023
Addressing the immense backlash after the airing of his Drive to Survive episode, he simply stated that it was nothing out of the ordinary. “We don’t need to do bullying, because after all, he was our driver.”
Pushing his statements aside as things said in the heat of the moment, the DTS hero-turned-villain refuses the role of bully. “you sometimes say something that you might say differently an hour later, but that wasn’t bullying at all.”
However, the episode of the docu-series focusing on Schumacher’s sacking, say something else.
Shots fired at Mick Schumacher
In the viral episode, Steiner is heard saying some rather harsh words. After Schumacher’s car was destroyed in a crash during Jeddah qualifying, Steiner spoke to owner Gene Haas and expressed his frustration, estimating the cost of the damage to be between half a million and a million dollars.
He also criticized Mick Schumacher for wrecking the car purposely because he couldn’t match his teammate’s speed despite having a year to learn.
After another DNF in Monaco, Haas mentioned a “dead man walking area,” to which Steiner replied, “If he doesn’t pull his trousers up, he will be soon.”
Despite accusations of bullying in the aftermath of the Drive to Survive series, Steiner refused to take the blame. Thus the question arises, how far is too far? Schumacher deserved a fair shot or even better treatment. Was the harsh management warranted because of the lack of performance, or was it simply bullying?
