"He’s at the other end in the pit lane now" - Guenther Steiner on interactions with Mick Schumacher
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has said that his interactions with Mick Schumacher are now non-existent since the German moved to Mercedes.
The young driver was part of Haas alongside Kevin Magnussen last season but was axed in favour of Nico Hulkenberg. The move has appeared to pay dividends, as Hulkenberg has already proven to be an upgrade.
However, the way things were handled between Schumacher and Steiner left a lot to be desired, as Mick's uncle Ralf Schumacher also talked about it. However, the Haas team principal thinks that it's all in the past now and his relationship with Schumacher does not exist anymore.
He told Asked by RTL/n-tv and Sport.de:
“He’s at the other end in the pit lane now, so we see each other very rarely. If he wants to talk to me: okay. If he doesn’t want to talk to me, it’s okay too. I have to respect that, and I’m okay with that.”
When talking about his relationship with Ralf Schumacher, Steiner said:
“I don’t have a problem, I have to do my job. I think the problem lies with someone else, not with me. That’s why I’m not worried about it, and I don’t have to go there. The relationship no longer exists, and I don’t need a new one either. I choose my friends myself and who I want to talk to. That’s how I’ve always been, and that’s how it will stay.”
Guenther Steiner attacks Mick Schumacher in latest book
Guenther Steiner's latest book, though, revealed the kind of animosity at Haas for Mick Schumacher. The team principal talked about frustrations with the German and how far too many crashes from the driver cost the team dearly.
It's quite evident from the book that Steiner lost interest in keeping the German much earlier in the 2022 season. With Schumacher now part of Mercedes, it will be interesting to see how the young German would carve his way back into F1.
With Audi not showing much interest in hiring Mick Schumacher, it will be very interesting to see if he can return to the grid. The role of Mercedes in this situation becomes important, as it appears that the German would have to kickstart his career somewhere else, as there are no possible options on the grid at the moment.