Guenther Steiner denies ‘bullying’ former Haas driver Mick Schumacher
Guenther Steiner stood against the 'bullying' allegations that were put on him while Mick Schumacher was racing for his team in the past season.
2022 was the last time Mick Schumacher raced for Haas, as his contract was not extended by the team given his unsatisfactory performance during a lot of race weekends.
Schumacher's fans also noticed throughout the season that Steiner had put the German under a lot of pressure. Fans believed that he was 'bullying' the young driver on the team because of the harsh words he was heard using on him. However, as the 2023 season is about to start, Steiner denied such allegations, he said,
"There was nothing out of the ordinary. We don't need to do any bullying, because after all he was our driver."
On top of this, he added that he understood what Schumacher's fans felt when he was blaming him for the team's low performance.
"But I can also absolutely understand Mick's fans."
Mick Schumacher found his way into Mercedes after Haas let him down for an offer. Though he is serving in the role of a reserve driver with the team, the fact that they are one of the most successful teams on the paddock doesn't go ignored. Schumacher might as well find himself with a much more competitive team than Haas if he has a satisfactory time with Mercedes.
Still, fans have not been too happy with the way Schumacher's time was spent with the American outfit since his debut in 2021.
@thestrallove Period. Absolutely disgusting team and then to expect Mick being able to perform under these circumstances smh
Steiner believes what he said to Mick Schumacher 'wasn't bullying'
In the Netflix series, Drive to Survive, Steiner is seen unsatisfied with his drivers a couple of times ever since Mick Schumacher made his F1 debut with the team in 2021. The team was absolutely underperforming in that season and it ended with zero points for them onboard.
Though 2022 was a little better, Schumacher had fewer points teammateteammate, Kevin Magnussen, and so, Steiner had been heard saying 'things' to Schumacher. He justified himself by stating that those things were said 'in the heat of the moment.'
"In the heat of the moment, you sometimes say something that you might say differently an hour later, but it wasn't bullying at all."
i feel like toto wolff has adopted mick schumacher at this point 😭 https://t.co/kxIhaoYojm
Schumacher has been seen in the limelight with Toto Wolff, the team principal of Mercedes, a lot of times ever since his contract with the team was signed. It is expected that this move to one of the top teams will help his career to bloom in Formula 1, and he might get into one of the more competitive teams on the grid in the near future.