Mick Schumacher succumbed to the pressure of Formula 1 and his boss’s ruthlessness when he was ousted from the Haas seat after the 2022 season. Having spent the year on the sidelines and seeing his former team do worse perhaps was inconsequential for Schumacher. However, after the firing of the boss Guenther Steiner, the German opened up about the dent in his F1 dream.
The German spoke to the media for the first time in a year after the 2023 Abu Dhabi GP. However, his interview is only now reaching the audience via the official Formula 1 channel because of the timing of things. The Mercedes reserve driver was asked how was he processing the loss of his seat and if he held any grudges.
To this Schumacher replied, “I mean, it does include a lot of hair pulling and tearing, and I feel like you don’t really see that. Obviously, this is the first media table that I’ve done this year [and] that shows a lot and says a lot in that sense, but F1 has always been a dream and it will always remain the dream.”
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There might be no grudges, but he still felt the causality of losing his Haas seat. However, this topic of grudges has a different opinion on who you ask.
Peter Windsor criticizes Guenther Steiner for his managerial skills after Mick Schumacher sacking
Steiner was one of the oldest team principals on the grid and held his post for a decade. Thanks to the insight by Drive to Survive, we caught a glimpse of his management style. However, this is exactly what Peter Windsor highlighted is the problem with Steiner. Windsor suggested Steiner’s relationship with Mick suffered because of this attitude, even though he admitted it was all dandy with the German.
Windsor said, “I would say the Guenther I know from Jaguar and from Haas, probably isn’t the greatest of driver managers and getting the best from the drivers that I could think of.”
Read More: Gunther Steiner Taints Michael Schumacher’s Legacy by Brutally Calling Out Mick’s Parenting
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“I don’t think he got the best from Mick Schumacher for example,” he added. “There was a little bit too much shouting and screaming and not enough you know, let’s keep things calm and highlight the best qualities of the drivers we’ve got.”
On the other hand, Ayao Komatsu, Haas’ Japanese Chief engineer, has replaced Guenther as Team Principal. In an interview with UK media, he expressed his excitement about his new role, stating, “I know that there’s so many talented, high-quality guys here so I really wanted to provide them with the environment and framework so that they can show their best. So I’m really excited.”
The volatile nature, according to Windsor, was what limited Steiner from extracting the best from his drivers. Perhaps Schumacher just needs more fatherly advice than scolding to keep his F1 dream alive. Although let’s hope his WEC rendezvous opens a door for him to race again in the circus.
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