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“Had Michael Schumacher Been There…”: Toto Wolff Accuses Guenther Steiner of Cowardly Behaviour for Mistreating 7x Champions’ Son Mick

Tejas Venkatesh
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“Had Michael Schumacher Been There…”: Toto Wolff Accuses Guenther Steiner of Cowardly Behaviour for Mistreating 7x Champions’ Son Mick

The name, Michael Schumacher is enough to remind people of the ultimate racing driver in the sport. Schumacher’s legacy in F1 is illustrious. With 7 World Championships, 91 wins, and 100s of podiums to his name, he is one of the most decorated and respected drivers of all time.

However, his son Mick Schumacher had a troubled start in F1. After 2 years with Haas, the 23-year-old was sacked from his seat at the end of 2022. However, this separation happened in a less-than-amicable fashion.

In his 2 years with the American team, Schumacher was often pushed to the limits. He was unable to improve due to the expectations of the team. And due to his constant crashes, Haas deemed him to be a liability and cut ties.

 

Team Principal Guenther Steiner could be heard making stingy comments in regarding the German’s poor performances and crashes. However, Mercedes boss Toto Wolff claimed, the Tyrolean wouldn’t have been brave enough to repeat the same words had Mick’s father been around.

Michael Schumacher would have not allowed Guenther Steiner

Mick Schumacher’s split from Haas is captured in Season 5 of Drive to Survive. Michael Schumacher’s brother, Ralf Schumacher has stated that Guenther Stiener’s treatment of the 23-year-old was no less than “bullying.”

The former F1 driver’ claimed that the Haas team principal’s constant bashing led to the youngster losing his confidence. And had his father’s presence would have been enough.

Sadly, the 7x champion has been recovering from a serious skiing accident he suffered in 2013. Since then there have been very few updates regarding the former Ferrari driver’s health.

Toto Wolff acclaims that Mick Schumacher has terrific potential in him. He too added to Ralf Schumachers’ points, “I can only say that his parents did nothing wrong in bringing him up.”

The Mercedes team principal agreed that Haas boss Guenther Steiner would have treated Mick differently had his father been around. Wolff added, “I assure you that if Michael had been there with his son during those two years at Haas, Steiner would not have dared to treat Mick like that!”

The same points were narrated by Schumacher’s former Ferrari boss Jean Toft. Todt claimed Mick was forced to navigate F1 alone. The Frenchman claimed his father would have helped him with technical and driving input and possibly remained in F1.

Mick Schumacher to get a Mercedes drive soon

Mick Schumacher aims to make an F1 return just like Michael Schumacher did in 2010. The F1 legend’s son has returned to Mercedes, the team his father raced for.

Mercedes snapped up Schumacher following his exit from Haas. The 23-year-old is currently the reserve driver for the silver arrows. He was present in the garage for all 3 races in the 2023 season, observing Lewis Hamilton and Goerge Russell.

Until now, the German hasn’t driven the W14. However, Wolff has assured that he would get to drive an older car first before jumping into their 2023 car. He said, “We’re trying to arrange an old car  for him as soon as possible.”

The Austrian assured that if Hamilton or Russell were to miss any races, Schumacher would substitute them. Wolff asserted, “If one of our drivers gets covid or gets hurt, Mick will be in the car. Period, end of discussion.”

Schumacher is without a racing seat for the 2023 season. However, the racer is looking out to make a return for the 2024 season. The German admitted earlier that he has received some options.

About the author

Tejas Venkatesh

Tejas Venkatesh

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Tejas Venkatesh is a Motorsports writer at The SportsRush. He started watching F1 in 2007 and fell in love with the sound of the revving V8s. A technical nerd, tejas loves to nerd over the technical beauty only motorsports can achieve. He calls himself a Vettel fanboy and spent the night crying after Hockenheim 2018. Apart from F1, Tejas is an avid Chelsea Fan and loves football.

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