Mick Schumacher and Haas had an ugly separation at the end of 2022 when the American-based team decided to replace him with Nico Hulkenberg. The unpleasant split caused an uproar by the German media and even propelled Mick’s uncle Ralf Schumacher to criticize Guenther Steiner.
Even despite Mick signing for Mercedes as a reserve driver, the wounds by Haas are still fresh. Therefore Steiner isn’t sure how would his former employee react to his greetings.
“I have no problem to say hello,” said Steiner to SkySports when asked how Mick will react if the Haas boss greets him on the paddock. “I don’t know how he will react. But I think we’re all grown up, and in the end, we had two years together.”
Steiner further adds that he tried to give him an opportunity and make something out of it. In a nutshell, he expects people to respect Haas’s decisions with the German race driver.
Haas had $2 million reasons to fire Mick Schumacher
In over two years in F1, Mick easily became the guy who racked up the biggest repair bills on the grid. In 2022, he alone cost Haas $2 million in repairs and strained their budget.
For Steiner personally, as per his new book, he disclosed that the $700,000 worth of crash in Japan was the last straw for him. After that, it was decided that the 2020 F2 champion won’t continue in Haas.
🇬🇧Steiner claims in his book Surviving to Drive that Mick Schumacher cost Haas $2 million only in crash damage last season.
He also says that the in-lap crash in the Japanese GP cost around $700.000 by itself, having to add to this one, the Saudi Arabian and Monaco crashes. pic.twitter.com/LgnOkMcBQJ
— F1 news 🇪🇸- 🇬🇧 (@F1news_eng_spa) April 10, 2023
Though Haas took a very long time to confirm a replacement for Mick, it brought massive uncertainty for the German race driver over a prolonged period. If seen objectively, that was a bit unfair to the 24-year-old.
Needed someone reliable
Steiner has been clear with his explanation of Mick’s sacking from Haas. According to him, where the team is heading, they need someone with considerable experience to lead them to the top.
And as per Steiner, Mick is not that person who is relatively still young in the team. On the other hand, his replacement, who is also his compatriot, Hulkenberg, has started his season impressively.
After surviving carnage in Albert Park, the 35-year-old brought in six points in Australia, the first points finish for him this year. But the season is long, and Steiner expects a lot from his drivers.
