Steiner Clarifies German Sponsor’s Role in Mick Schumacher Getting Haas F1 Seat

Mick Schumacher was making headlines even before he made his F1 debut. While his last name’s played a part in his racing career, a few fans started believing that sponsorship also played a role in him getting the race seat at Haas. However, Team Principal Guenther Steiner’s has refuted that claim.

Netflix’s Drive to Survive season 3 was at its best in taking us behind the scenes of what really went at an F1 team. And one of the notable takeaways was Haas‘ negotiations with German internet company, 1&1. The company wanted to position its brand alongside a driver of their nationality.

Naturally, it’s led a few people to theorize that it one of the factors that played a part in Mick’s arrival at Haas. However, the negotiations between 1&1 and Haas were underway much before Mick came into the picture. Team boss Guenther Steiner recently said –

“The 1&1 sponsorship is a Haas team sponsorship, it’s not a Mick sponsorship, just to clarify that. There is no direct connection between 1&1 and Mick. Obviously 1&1 embraces Mick being at Haas, but this was a parallel development, not a combined development.”

Ferrari called the shots on Mick Schumacher, not 1&1

While his father, Michael Schumacher, had the financial backing of Mercedes early in his career, Mick is not backed from a sponsorship perspective.

Rather, Ferrari controls his F1 career at the moment as he is part of their young driver academy. Last season, it was a well-documented toss-up between Alfa Romeo and Haas for Mick’s signature. And Ferrari chose to go with American outfit to begin Mick’s career in the pinnacle of motorsports.

“For sure it helped us with 1&1 and 1&1 is very happy about having Mick at Haas. But that, it was more like a decision from Ferrari where to send the drivers and we asked if we can have him because he won Formula 2. But it is not a direct negotiation going on between the company and Mick,” said Guenther Steiner.

We must also remember that the young Schumacher won the F2 Championship. And it was him driving the car to glory, not his name. Admittedly, it helps, but it can only take one so far. So, he’s achieved what he achieved until now on merit.

Read More – Why Does Mick Schumacher Race With Number 47? The Link to Michael Schumacher Explained