Guenther Steiner reveals the truth behind Mick Schumacher's Haas exit

[@vrccb]

What a fabulous interview. Clear, concise, beautifully explained and most people in their right mind would have done exactly what Guenther did for exactly those reasons.

[@jamieboytor2188]

Very well said 👏

[@TheAYM91]

Say whatever you want about Haas and Guenther Steiner but Hulk has already proven them right. Unfortunately for Mick, he was just not fast enough for Haas to back him.

[@AIMIWA95]

While I do agree, I sat through this whole 8 minute video hoping to hear him at least acknowledge that Mick has ability and just isn’t a good fit for a team like haas until he hones his trade a little more. A little respect toward a driver he let go would go a long way to sway public opinion on him. Especially with the German media he thinks have it out for him.

[@gazman9468]

@@AIMIWA95 I wanted Mick to be fast as much as anyone but he just didn't display many flashes of speed. Worse he was unpredictable having unreliable pace and ultimately one too many accidents. I think Gunther was right saying that Mick should be grateful for having had the opportunity. Like it or not F1 is very sink or swim and you better hit the ground running. Lando did, Verstappen certainly did. It remains to be seen whether or not Piastri or de Vries have it in them.

[@TheAYM91]

@@gazman9468 Piastri is already showing glimpses. Making Q3 in Saudi Arabia and decent race pace despite McLaren's DRS problems.

[@SteveMrW]

@@gazman9468 As a driver, I think that Mick is more like his uncle Ralf rather than his dad.

[@tbz1551]

@@AIMIWA95 It's almost like this is the first time you've heard Guenther speak. He is not one for warm and fuzzies. Mick also didn't earn anymore respect than he has received from Guenther.

[@johnT5]

So much respect for Guenther. Love or hate - he's just is what he is...and good for him.

[@flipflop4396]

Hes not and never was a Team principle material..

[@jeffcanyafixiy]

You've GOT to perform when you get in the seat.. Mick seems like a good/talented young man. But it was a learning experience. I personally like Guenther candid nature,, no bs, you know where he stands.

[@LunnarisLP]

Yeah but if you sign 2 rookies and basically let them drive a shitbox for a year then what you expect. And Haas ended up last in the constructors again anyway, but instead of forging a relationship and growing the skillset of a young talent they brought in a guy who maybe has like 3-4 more years in F1 at best anyway. Magnussen wasnt doing all that much better either, yet somehow he gets his contract extended for 2023 and even 2024 now. People are all like "No PR bs" when all Guenther is saying is bs. Just bs without PR. Okay nice.

[@mohammadhosainusofimotlagh6168]

I'm a big fan of mick and i think his pace since silverstone was more than enaugh to keep him in f1, but i think guenther certainly made the right choise.

[@franciscoovarela]

Yeah but he only showed the pace sometimes. Yes he did outpace Kevin sometimes but when you look at the job Nico is doing now, you can see Mick undoubtedly did not have the consistency or pace

[@ishqiahmed4315]

@@franciscoovarela the thing is he had potential, he did show he had pace, but you are right in that he lacked consistency. but i think its also how he started his career, he joined a team that was more focused on developing the car than its drivers for example teams like Alfa and Alphatauri. Not that im blaming Haas for anything but had Mick been at another team things may have been different

[@99.9percent9]

@@ishqiahmed4315 Is he not the reserve driver at Merc?

[@ishqiahmed4315]

@@99.9percent9 ye

[@bossmen6665]

crashmacher get out

[@weeeeee374]

I'm a Haas fan and 2 things annoy me: 1. Qualifying pace is better than race pace massively. 2. Drivers make the most stupid mistakes

[@Hashx17]

it's like they overheat and have to run on 95% power or something also yea those mistakes are wildly out of place every time lol. kmag needs something to calm him down before race starts because it feels like he fosters rage all weekend just to take it out on his front wing 😂

[@NickyG_vz]

Well they buy everything from Ferrari. They have been the biggest Saturday merchants for a while

[@justadummy8076]

@@NickyG_vz hopefully Fred can whip them into shape, the problem is Ferrari at the core

[@craig162]

The drivers had to overdrive a horrible car. I believe the team told them the car was junk and to do their best. No Money, That's why they needed two pay drivers.

[@nomoreheroes93]

It's harder to optimise a car for a whole race than one lap, especially considering tire deg which is very complex to model etc. hence the bigger teams always do better. Same with Williams.

[@dfxl6587]

The comment regarding pressure on Haas from the media here in Germany is so true. The main culprit was Ralf Schumacher who is a Sky Germany pundit and commentator. He took every opportunity on TV and in the press to state how good Mick was and they he wasn’t getting a chance from Haas. It was bordering on being creepy and painful as well as not supported by the evidence. I mean Mick destroyed a car on an in lap! Ralf has issues he needs to work through, his own son, here in Germany is referred to as the nephew of Michael Schumacher, never the son of Ralf Schumacher, that shows the difference in regard for the two brothers here in Germany. Mick, like Ralf, is unfortunately a Schumacher in name only. Good drivers, Yes! Great drivers, unfortunately not! Look at the results from Nico Hülkenberg so far this season, far better than Mick achieved, and he is not a spring chicken anymore.

[@gazman9468]

Same was said about Bruno Senna when he was coming in and as you point out just because they're family doesn't mean they share the same level of talent. Magnussen was making Mick look bad but Hulkenberg coming in and outdriving Magnussen comfortably so far this year proves it was the right decision for Mick to go. I think there's been far too much pressure on younger rookies to come in and fly immediately and it's been proven again this year that experience matters. I think a few years ago most teams would have rather taken a chance on a young GP2 star than consider employing an Alonso. Money aside I think most teams would now rather have experienced drivers with proven speed.

[@DAGATHire]

@@gazman9468 indeed the name meanins nothing. Max's father was rubbish! And moaned about it as if his lack of talent was everyone else's fault.

[@jamesormondroyd1009]

Ralph Schumacher was definitely a lot better than Mick though, he had some great results for Williams between 1999 and 2002, scoring wins and podiums when the Williams was not a top tier car compared with the mclaren and ferrari, and outscored his teamates button in 2000 and montoya in 2001. I think he’s underrated

[@deana8052]

lol, all f1 drivers are great. good drivers dont get seats brother..

[@DAGATHire]

@@deana8052 thats wrong mate. all F1 drivers have money behind them. Money buys the seat! TALENT keeps the seat! Thats how F1 works. and netflix won;t teach you that.

[@jurigelato4366]

To me Guenther always explains his thoughts well. He's honest and in the end takes the responsibility.

[@michaellavery4899]

Correct. A top man in every respect.

[@sammoore7840]

I feel a bit sorry for Mick, I don't think he has the right people around him to make it in F1. There's far too much finger-pointing and not enough accountability from his camp. The constant media games and sniping at Haas (From Ralf in particular) wasn't helpful, particularly when Mick wasn't pulling his weight, and really it must have been an easy decision for Haas to drop him. I doubt they have any regrets.

[@alcoyne3333333333333]

Yes he has to many yes men . He needs to be taught to fight like he did with Max in British GP in every race 🏁

[@The_Professor814]

Exactly all of that was a bit ridiculous honestly. The crashes that I remember were all his own fault and his whole last season kmag was alot quicker in the same car and now 2023 they're high in the midfield

[@fiarandompenaltygeneratorm5044]

100%. His behavior in Austria--and his people--when it should have been a highlight for the whole team ironically cost him his job. He acted so selfish. He needed Nicolas Todt as his manager. I think he'd still be in F1.

[@hughpaynes754]

Take the Schumacher name out of the equation does it create as a big of a story? No….I don’t think so. I think in gunthers position he made the right decision but Carrie dit out wrong

[@procatprocat9647]

Take the Schumacher name away from mick and you're left with an unattractive option.

[@johngriffiths118]

Agreed . He handled it very poorly

[@dud8905]

@@commentator3837 carried it out wrong

[@EmperorEdwardXIII]

So Latiffi hahahah

[@Bale4Bond]

Take the Schumacher name out the equation and he would have never had a drive…

[@jackr.749]

Guenther is probably my favorite team boss, he's so straight forward, no sugar coating, no BS, just says it as it is. F1 could use a lot more of that instead of the drama soap opera TV show it's becoming.

[@iliketoast-q9b]

Oh god please no, this guy is insufferable. Toto was right when he said Günther isn't too bright. Probably a nightmare to work with too and if you don't want the soap opera drama, just stop watching dts.

[@thomaskayser-eichberg9910]

he is the biggest donkey in F1.

[@SimXperienceGaming]

He literally ran a team into the ground what you on about?

[@krissavagelive]

James Vowles: 🤷🏻‍♂️

[@LunnarisLP]

Guenther: "Mick is bad with Hülkenberg we will do so much better" Haas: Last in constructors.. Guenther gets kicked. Great team boss :^)

[@arghya426]

No PR bs, just straight to the point, best interview I have seen.

[@miamigt4922]

Excellent, candid interview. Both Haas and Guenther are lucky to have each other. Love to see them have a breakout season one year.

[@oyatero2]

Those are fair comments from Gunther

[@zeezmusic7245]

I don’t think so mate. He says they were close to spend that 145 or 135 million budget. But do you remember beginning of last season when Haas battled Mercedes. And after first race they said how they gonna do just ONE major upgrade and how they will try to find performance from setups and focus on 2023. So how they were close to budget cap? Is that one upgrade 90 million $$.

[@meejinhuang]

Magnussen doing so well last year, sealed Micks fate. He even got a pole position.

[@DEE-qu5mc]

Bit different this year though, Hulk too quick.

[@BomimoDK]

@@DEE-qu5mc True. don't think it will matter for either seat until 2025 tho.

[@supermanlegend7]

​@@DEE-qu5mcQuick but verry Old 😂 with 3 Points

[@koruki]

We know that was a lotto position lol he lost the lead before the first corner

[@captainross4706]

@@DEE-qu5mc p4 qualifying in Miami though

[@procatprocat9647]

Steiner is spot on here. He was right to bin Schumacher and I particularly respect his comment about individual responsibility for the team. That's one of the fundamental problems in western society, particularly in the public sector.

[@darkdaylightnight6179]

Why bring your skewed views on the public sector into the discussion? Irrelevant.

[@BeBe-vh4ry]

​@@darkdaylightnight6179 lads, we found the civil servant

[@darkdaylightnight6179]

@@BeBe-vh4ry You couldn't be further from the truth. You've found someone who doesn't like it when people spout unfounded nonsense.

[@svendtveskg5719]

Spot on.

[@andyhung424able]

F1 needs more team personality like Guenther Steiner. Just genuine and truthful. I wish he can help HAAS to climb the ladder like Aston Martin (Former Force India Racing Point) has done. But for Force India to become Aston Martin and the contender that they are now, it took 15 years. HAAS is now about 7 years old, hopefully they will have a break through in the couple of seasons.

[@theaveragegatsby4125]

Stroll’s investment helped ALOT

[@chaseeason6789]

Gunther is one of the best team principles ever, even better that he's real and not polished.

[@iliketoast-q9b]

In terms of performance he is among if not the worst. Being "real" and unpolished doesn't mean you know what you're doing, which Günther clearly doesn't. Very unpleasant personality and probably a nightmare to work with.

[@lolzlolz69]

The cost cap needs changing so that crashes are not part of it.

[@ajorngjdonaydbr]

Agreed

[@justinsmith4562]

no

[@LetsGo-wl5zo]

Get a better driver, who is not crashing often. So, they solve the problem.

[@EcoStands]

I partially agree, but there could be some teams gaming the system as someone could tap the wall and the team could claim it needs new suspension, front wing etc etc

[@EcoStands]

@@casualSimRacer3312 bear with me but my point is effectively what defines a crash? Do we need to see bits flying everywhere or does a puncture suffice? And then if you say a crash is as a result of driver error, what if they run high revs which cause the engine to explode, driver error or mechanical one?

[@El_turco82]

I never see that someone had so many crashes in the F1 and also always the same way always rear had break out so I think there was also something wrong with the settings on the car, maybe wrong balance or bad TC setting, because by every crash from Mick the rear was break out, that's really strange.

[@jw325]

Geunther needs his own show, he has to be the most watchable team principal on the grid. Just order his book. The bloke is a legend

[@curbyi76]

Had my reservations about this new sky presenter but to be fair to him a good interview with no softball questions.

[@alcoyne3333333333333]

Sky just need to get a few none British pundits. Its awful listening to them telling each other how great they are/ware . They will never every be critical of any British driver even when the make clear mistakes. Its always unlucky..

[@andrewharper4296]

All fair comments in the interview but Mick did deserve his place in F1. He did well enough in the junior categories, got the right connections and got an opportunity. I was watching the ‘91/‘92 season reviews some weeks ago and if you saw the number of crashes the rookies were having (I think I counted four written off cars by M.Schumacher) none of them would be kept in todays F1. The only difference between then and now (which I always feel is a shame for ANY F1 rookie is in the 90’s you had testing, lots of it. Drivers could run 100’s of laps, they had time away from race weekends to get used to the cars/tyres/setup. It is more of a pressure cooker environment now, but teams still employ 18 year old drivers and then are surprised when they crash a lot! 😂 So in reality, it’s no great surprise that drivers like Alonso and Niko are doing well.

[@povilaslondon]

But nowadays you have proper simulators and you can practice on them all you want. Yes it's not the same as real track time but it's definitely good enough to build your skills.

[@JustSomeDinosaurPerson]

@@povilaslondon It really isn't tbh Nothing beats being in the actual car on the actual track in actual conditions.

[@povilaslondon]

@@JustSomeDinosaurPerson true but then current f1 drivers who are active in sim racing are doing better then the ones who are not active. In other words sims are not as much help for us mortals, but are way more helpful for race drivers.

[@ssssssss6889]

To add up to all other comments, in yester decades driver arrived to F1 much less matured than nowadays and people rarely started a professional carriere untill their mid-teens. Then off course , we had kids that started karting by age 5-6 and beat everybody. I am talking about Senna and schumacher. Everybody is Prost, Berger, Alesi, Patrese, Rosberg the 1st , Lauda, and so on, all having only started a professionnal or consistent carrier by age 14-15 and even 19-20-21 for some of them. As in every matter , not just motorsports, as much as you start younger you mature to be a better one. Unfortunately, being more experienced does not make up for starting "older". Just as a side note, just think that Prost never done any kind of motorsport until he was 15. It's difficult to compare the number of crash a 2020's rookie has to 80's 90s rookies. Very different circumtances.

[@Housestationlive]

we can feel the lack of performance comparated to last season, maybe because of the budget went into mick crashes fixes instead of new packages.

[@bossmen6665]

not true. haas used all of its 2021 development money on their 2022 car. in other words haas used mazepin money on their 2022 car

[@supermanlegend7]

Mick and 1&1 with Under Armour bring 5-7 mil to Hass , Gunter is a Joke !

[@DecoMastaTV]

Haas is not the team for developing drivers. Useless for it

[@procatprocat9647]

True. HAAS still needs experienced drivers to help it mature in itself. Ending up being saddled with 2 rookies was very unfortunate. Maybe in a few years time HAAS will be a better spot to teach the kiddos

[@johngriffiths118]

F 1 is the culmination of a drivers career not the start

[@procatprocat9647]

@@johngriffiths118 nope, it's just a new level on the way to thwir real goal. If a rookie F1 driver takes the attitude that he's achieved his highest point in his career just by getting to F1 then he won't last long in F1 because there would be no effort put in. The real culmination for F1 drivers is to win the drivers championship at least once.

[@ShedSessionsDNB]

Not when they are developing themselves

[@chuliluli]

Or perhaps the surname of the driver means nothing

[@BotsWeekendCovers]

Your name will only carry you so far, ultimately performance will keep you in an F! seat. Guenther is extremely candid and his reasoning was spot on!!!

[@liviuemanuel82]

sargent : p4 or 5 in F2 -> almost no one question he deserve a f1 seat mick: p1 f3 , p1 f2 -> "he doesn't deserve to be in f1" really?! the amount of hate mick gets is ridiculous. and this comes from someone who hated his father!

[@BotsWeekendCovers]

@@liviuemanuel82 Lets see how long Williams keeps Sargent. You have to admit that Mick was fast but prone to accidents and with the cap thats not good.

[@liviuemanuel82]

​@@BotsWeekendCovers i was speaking of past performance. sure Sargent isn't long enough in F1 BUT you can't tell me Mick only got to f1 because of his name if he was F3 and F2 champion! mick isn't that old in f1 either. let's be honest. the first season is non existent the second season he made some mistakes, that's true, but the pressure on his shoulder was enoumous! basically after 3-4 races "didn't get points", "not talented enough" etc etc etc ralf didn't help. the fact that hass is a BAD team for developing drivers didn't help also. to me he is a talented driver that gets a lot of hate for his fathers sins (and talent), has some bad performances and some bad luck, i don't know if he is WC material, probably not, but he can be a good F1 driver, if he is left to develop.

[@BotsWeekendCovers]

@@liviuemanuel82 I agree with you and think he was talented but how long do you keep the experiment going? I think Hass just didn't have a choice and I also believe he will get another ride, hopefully a better one and then show his skill.

[@liviuemanuel82]

@@BotsWeekendCovers the experiment did go for 1 year. because the first year in f1 was a joke. 1 year of which 8 months he was in the headlines for the wrong reasons (and in many cases not his fault). many many new driver crashed and i;m getting the feeling that he received much hate than others. sure then it wasn't a cost gap imposed. if you are better that your father his name and experience will help you (see max), if you are not better then you will have many many problems , even if you are good enough for the sport.

[@theturkishrider]

I think Mick needs to be in WEC 1-2 years, keep it steady there and learn to focus more, then get back to F1.

[@maximusg88]

Steiner has a massive chip on his shoulder there... Mick would've performed better at A-Romeo... I blame Ferrari

[@ChouduSieben]

W comment

[@ShogunsDojo]

I think you’re spot on there 💯

[@TheAYM91]

Mick is not just fast enough. Zhou has proven himself to be a much faster driveer without the crashes.

[@ciaronsmith4995]

@@TheAYM91 Giovinazzi was better than Zhou.

[@alcoyne3333333333333]

Mick to replace bottas next season bottas heart isn't in it anymore 😢 he doesn't look happy at all.

[@lansiman]

what gave me a bad impression of Haas is the final round where Mick was call to stop his car donut celebration after the race is over

[@SleepyGarfield73]

But the car was needed for a tyre test a few days later - if he'd knackered the gearbox or engine then they'd have lost that opportunity - not fair to expect the team to risk losing that opportunity to allow Mick to do donuts.

[@lam19bo]

Mick just seems to nice to be a race car driver,not ruthless enough

[@Carrie_13]

I adore Guenther. He's always so honest and makes F1 even more enjoyable with his personality. Go HAAS!!!

[@zeezmusic7245]

I don’t believe he was honest here. He says how they were close to spend that 145 million, but they literally had one single upgrade in the whole season. RB, Ferrari, Mercedes had upgrades every other race. So either Gunter spend 100 million in one upgrade or he’s lying.

[@LuisMartinsmw]

One of most sensible team principals on the paddock

[@SR1Records]

I think to get closer, more competitive racing, the bottom 5 teams should be allowed to spend more the the top 5 teams. The top teams have the better engineers, so the bottom teams should be allowed to spend more money on research and development so even things out.

[@azzakean]

Great shout, extra 5-10 % or something. Over a few years that would really compound I think.

[@OveranalyzingEverything]

Some smaller teams don't even have the money to spend that much. I'm sure some of them didn't spend as much as red bull or even McLaren with a cost cap. So raising cap might not help if you don't even have the money

[@freakinccdevilleiv380]

The rules/cars need to be simplified. Tight volume constrains and no kers drs gimmicks

[@123Coffs]

Gunter is great. Niko has driven amazing for the team so far. I’d love to see haas rise up the ranks to the front

[@alexseiler1604]

Open, candid and genuine.

[@Ferp50]

Tell me one top teir driver that did not make mistakes, and they still do. Mika is a good driver he is under more pressure than anyone racing, his mother, family ..... His father said he use to go into corners in practice as fast as nessesary to find the top speed for it.

[@tyren14]

Anyone who says Mick wasn't good enough for F1 doesn't understand how good he actually is. Remove the name and he's proven himself in the junior categories. There are drivers currently in F1 e.g. Logan Sargent, Zhou who have been less successful. The Haas wasn't particularly competitive, and Mick was doing what his father did, trying to explore the limits. Haas made a good decision ultimately but personally I think Haas is not the team for Mick to be "exploring the limits" given their budget.

[@qwj68boots]

But I wonder why the Ferrari Academy dropped him Before Haas did...

[@iliketoast-q9b]

@@iyiyl F3 and F2 champion. Sargent, Zhou, Tsunoda...none of them were able to achieve that and yet have a seat. Tsundoa is interesting because he managed to score equal points with Mick in 2022...in a much faster car. Yet no one is doubting his talent, weird huh? Is it may be because of the name? I wonder...

[@dougmate2378]

I like that Guenther has accountability, this trait is a fleeting one in society more and more these days.

[@koruki]

Both Hass cars hitting walls this year too so wasn’t a Mick problem

[@FensGaming]

Careful haas and gunther fans arent ready for that conversation

[@LeoTheLion66]

BS

[@Rayhandp]

And now that Guenther is out, Haas overall is doing much better. Funny this thing called life.

[@patrickbateman1660]

Marginally. And that's ignoring the lag of car development.

[@OldStreetDoc]

EVERYone wanted Mick to be the next ‘Michael’. The problems were that we came to ‘expect’ it as much as ‘want’ it, and in the end Mick couldn’t do what only one man had ever done in Formula 1. There is NO shame in that. He is talented, but it’s simply wrong for anyone to expect him to be his dad. That had to be painful for him, and there is already enough pressure on drivers. Hulk has made all of this very clear after only a handful of races.

[@iliketoast-q9b]

What has Hulk done exactly? He got luck in Au with P6 and plenty of faster cars dnf'ing. Other than his quali-pace he is unremarkable.

[@OldStreetDoc]

@@iliketoast-q9b Well, for one… he hasn’t been writing off chassis. So there’s that. ✌🏼

[@iliketoast-q9b]

@@OldStreetDoc So you're saying the damage/cost of a crash is proportional to the driver's skill? Hulk has also crashed already, so not really sure what you're on about.

[@OldStreetDoc]

@@iliketoast-q9b As a matter of fact… yes. That is what I am saying & what many others are saying. As both Steiner & Gene Haas have stated in the press, that was the primary reason Mick was let go. Under a cost cap system, writing off chassis after chassis is an irrecoverable penalty. Even more so for a smaller team. The secondary reason reportedly, and all too many seem to agree with this also, is that Mick sadly just did not improve. Sorry if that upsets your apple cart. Mick is a talented kid. He simply wasn’t good enough quickly enough. And again, there is no shame in that. You know all too well what I’m “on about”.

[@iliketoast-q9b]

@@OldStreetDoc I was talking about Hulk and he hasn't shown anything that's worth mentioning. Being good in quali doesn't bring in money for the team and he is behind in racepace to Kmag on average. Mick at least was fast on raceday and outpaced Kmag 13/8. While crashing is usually the drivers fault of course, *cough* leclerc *cough*, the damage usually is just down to physics. Mick lost control in Monaco, his only racecrash, and the car split in two at low speed in a flexible barrier. I fail to see how someone else could have saved the chassis in that scenario. Also Steiner and Haas are not the kind of people I would listen to...on anything really.

[@whateverrrrrr123]

Love him very genuine

[@ysince95]

how many times did haas crash with other drivers? Schumacher wasn’t the worst of them^^

[@ciaronsmith4995]

There is a reason Gunther Steiner didn't last at Jaguar or Red Bull. Yes, Mick Schumacher wasn't that great. But Gunther's reaction and public comments were highly immature. Especially for a team principal. He seems to be more interested in Netflix drama and his own popularity, than running a team.

[@soisaidtogod4248]

He is Gene's mouthpiece.

[@gravyboat89]

But ultimately he was right. He is outspoken but so what. This isn’t golf, it’s racing.

[@Mortimer992]

Haas never maxed the cost cap out…. So his anwser is not that fair. In addition Mik brought in over 10m in Sponsorships per year….

[@TrystaneTheBlack]

Mick is no doubt a very good driver, he has won in all the junior categories he could have but Haas just isn't the team that can afford developing talent that will leave to a bigger team once they deem him good enough to join them so why would they risk the financial strain on developing him? People largely only care about him because of his name anyway.. there arent many who look at him as just Mick

[@finbarrhayes5878]

Guenther is great. I’d rather watch him being interviewed than any f1 driver. The drivers don’t say anything..

[@IR._]

Never thought I’d see Haas, a team that employed Gosjean and Mazepin, complain about a different driver causing damage on the car

[@Alex.The.Lionnnnn]

2 full seasons is a pretty decent go at trying to make it. Maybe a year longer than he may have had without his name.

[@miggygetright6344]

Hate him all you want, but he’s a team principal in F1 and knows more than you & me. I think he made the right choice in dropping Mick.

[@MrZtapp]

Very good interview, thanks.

[@23664gray]

Guenther, top bloke, very honest

[@acermaniacboy]

"The higher your rise, the sharper the knives."

[@blackflagqwerty]

His father wrote off 3 or 4 Benetton chasis' in his first few years. He also wrote off a few of his competitors cars too.

[@mkkm945]

His father was also winning races for fun. Any team would take a win & crash kind of guy. As much as I like Mick, he wasn't ever dominant within his team even.

[@stuartsmith5308]

All 10 TP's would of let Mick go. No need blaming Guenther for being the one to make the right choice.

[@dazediss6629]

“We thought he’d be like his dad, but he wasn’t”. Doesn’t need an 8 minute video to say that someone is slow.

[@tosehoed123]

He werent even slow, he just wasnt as fast as they hoped

[@ancientbriton8262]

The Hulk is way underrated as an F 1 driver, he deserves to be in one of the top teams 😊

[@MarcinHopa8]

Woah, Guenther is so wise and responsible!

[@svendtveskg5719]

Whoa...

[@alanluscombe8a553]

I often wonder what situation mick would be in if micheal had not had his accident. It doesn’t bring more talent but he would have had a very very experienced and passionate teacher and mentor going to bat for him

[@williamyf]

What people in the "Mick" camp do not realize when they bash Haas in the media and pin all the blame on them, is that Mick was sacked from the Ferrari program at the same time he was sacked from Haas. It means that Mick did not have enough to bring to the table to either organization. It is useful to compare Mick with another Ferrari org driver, Antonio Giovanazi: Antonio was part of Ferrari's young driver Programme (like Mick). He was placed as a driver in a customer team (like Mick). After a two year spell, the customer team sacked him (like Mick). But, unlike Mick, Ferrari (which, along with the customer team, is the party with the most info about the driver) saw enough Value in Antonio to keep him in the organization. Mick could not demonstrate enough value to Ferrari to stay there. Lucky for him, Mercedes (which has less info about Mick than what Ferrari or Haas do) gave him a chance. I hope he evolves/matures as a driver and gets a second chance...

[@opshorihaque2790]

too bad for ferrari because mick is now in mercedes and we all know that nobody wants to drive a shitbox like ferrari.

[@neXib]

If Mick was a great and enjoyable guy to work with, 2 million dollars is nothing, they had Grosjean crashing cars for 3 seasons. That's the truth, money is not the sole reason he's not in that seat. It even comes across in DtS that Mick doesn't really slot in.

[@SomebodyHadToSayIt99]

Grosjean wasn’t crashing in out laps during practice sessions, he was chasing the points and there was no cost cap. Crashing with a cost cap is very different.

[@scouser2230]

Gunther is spot on regarding his Mick Schumacher comments. All the unrealistic expectations loaded on Mick result from who his father is, and I don’t believe Mick has his father’s natural talent.

[@dimsuminab0x]

People don't realize the magnitude one single point can effect a team when it comes to the championship, each team gets a sizeable cut of prize money based on the position the end their season on which is so important to a smaller team such as Haas. Could Gene Haas pump more money into the team to make it easier sure, but he's not willing to.

[@FS02TER]

I was a huge Michael Schumacher fan and whilst it was great to see his son Mick get a drive in F1, he simply was just not good enough at the end of the day.

[@liviuemanuel82]

sargent : p4 or 5 in F2 -> almost no one question he deserve a f1 seat mick: p1 f3 , p1 f2 -> "he doesn't deserve to be in f1" really?! the amount of hate mick gets is ridiculous. and this comes from someone who hated his father!

[@FS02TER]

@Liviu Parausanu I agree on you with Logan Sargent! His results were not good enough to earn a seat in F1 and its proving this way

[@shad_2510]

Brilliant interview

[@jonmillsfit]

It's hard to expect results and points when you provide the drivers with a tractor for 2 years.

[@lsudx479]

Let's all be clear on one thing - Mick is NOT his father. He's not cut from the same racing cloth as Michael. Last names mean nothing if the level of skill isn't there.

[@nav6593]

all i know is guenther is a legend

[@zeezmusic7245]

There’s no chance Haas was close to that 145 million limit. They literally had ONE upgrade last season? They said how they gonna find performance in cars setup. They started the season batting Mercedes and ended up as back markers. Mercedes, RB and Ferrari had upgrades every other race.

[@ccramit]

Mick was bad. No two ways about it. If he was the amazing driver that Schumacher fans keep saying he is, he would have gotten more than a reserve drive offer. But that's all he got. Williams went with a rookie, and AT went with a 27 year old de Vries. Actions speak louder than words. The paddock says good things about Mick because of his dad and for PR reasons. But no one picked him up for a full time seat.

[@LouSassol69er]

I like Steiner but I don't think he's a longterm serious TP. This mess with rookies and Schumacher. Taking on two rookies then bringing back previous driver a year later. Letting drivers like Leclerc slip through their hands. Sponsor mess like Rich Energy. Their lack of upgrades over seasons.

[@theauldscientist]

Wash your mouth out, Steiner is the GOAT TP.

[@ralkrey9526]

Welp he had a hard time at Jaguar with all their finances and early redbull what would make him good now after all those mess.

[@SiQuemaCuhh]

I don’t get the hate Gunther is getting. He fried someone for not meeting KPI’s. F1 is a sport where your losing more money than your making. Why would he keep a driver who 1. Is an expensive reliability 2. Only got to points 1 time. Smart move from Gunther picking up Hulk.

[@hello456able]

Mick didn’t u know the guenther has to pull his ball hairs out and it hurts now because he had to pull out a lot more than one hair so his crouch is in a lot of pain because of your little accidents

[@lainla]

Steiner really hussles to do the best job. However the results obviously frustrated Haas and he saw no possibility to get better results with Steiner.

[@keeganforde2012]

And Haas finished last and scored 12 points. Mick Schumacher scored 12 points last year on his own and didn’t have backing from the team. Hulkenberg scored only once 7th Australia and Magnussen with 3 10th places. I believe that Had they had Mick on that team and actually backed him they could have had a better chance of beating the bottom. Magnussen and Hulkenburg are great drivers on their day but they’ve peaked and Haas need some younger drivers in not necessarily too young but they are nothing more than a bottom of the table team atm and will be until they change their lineup.

[@mattwilkinson5858]

It’s the surname curse, happened with Senna also

[@federaiko]

It is a real pity for Mick Schumacher he was not able to deliver but unfortunately Guenther is right and it's a double pity this year that Guenther is out from Haas and F1 in general.

[@BrentDesouza]

Both Mick and Guenther were not good enough for F1.

[@jemaineramdin4206]

Guenther maybe the right man for Ferrari

[@SiQuemaCuhh]

Michael S. Said it himself. You either have it or you don’t. Go to Indy

[@domithedrumster]

I also want to become team principal, but I think my english is too good 😞

[@willyhwang1059]

overall unfortunate situation. mike was good but not good enough and a small team like Haas needed to see result or at least minimize financial losses

[@NETBU]

Disappointed in the interviewer for asking such childish questions.

[@harshhapani7230]

but the damage cost doesn't count towards the cost cap, does it?

[@simonkevnorris]

It's all money that the team can spend. Just look at the discussion about the Ferrari that was destroyed in Vegas due to the water inspection cover.

[@B0CAJUN10RS1995]

Baby Schumi simply wasn’t good enough. Too prone to crashes and his pace was slower than KMag. Signing Hulk was 100% the right move

[@philtucker1224]

There are only 20 drivers seats in Formula one. It’s only right and fair for those seats to go to the best 20 drivers available. End of story.

[@Brainman234]

thats what i hate about F1 there are actually talented drivers who could even do something with those "bad" cars and they dont get a chance. Because people rather look at money or the name.

[@JesterialInsanity]

People can complain about the Haas car all they want, but you cant put money into improving the car if you're spending all the money and time on fixing it from incidents.

[@sirbonobo3907]

I Hope Mick gets another chance in f1. Look at stroll this Papa Box needs to Go.

[@dopy8418]

Yeah but how much money was the name Schumacher bringing ?

[@gerhardmaree]

Everyone vilifies Guenther for the MS situation. MS had a chance to prove himself. Dont forget Ferarri also dropped him yet nobody mentioned that. Mercedes now more than a year later has an opening for 2025 yet Toto makes no mention of MS despite him criticizing everyone for not giving Mick a seat.

[@duk2k]

His name overshadowed him

[@hello456able]

The Hulk is a bit better but still holds the record for zero podiums in light years of races but at least he doesn’t crash so that’s definitely a good thing but we are still slow that’s because haas doesn’t really want to win! The truth in plain site. At least Lawrence stroll wants win and will win it’s coming

[@hello456able]

I think it’s very frustrating when mick blows a million bucks on destroying the car yip that’s a bit frustrating!

[@jonathanking8429]

Funny looking back at it now, Gunther begged Ferrari for Mick coz he wanted the name ‘Schumacher’ and to carry on for himself on DTS. But it’s on Ferrari also they knew Giovinazzi wasn’t gonna make the next step they should have put him in the Alfa opposite Kimi to mentor him and his career could have gone completely different.

[@dazuk1969]

I really wanted Mick to do well in F1....but the fact is he just kept smashing the Haas car to bits. I think if his Dad was able to be there and mentor him he would have done much better.

[@Alcatraz760]

While i dont mick was performing so badly he needed to be dropped, Hulk’s performance is so good that its the right decision no matter your opinion on Mick.

[@edmu9799]

well said.

[@sporkybutterz]

Its a business...and in F1 with small teams every crash hurts development. Love it or hate it Guenther is correct. Mick seems like a good guy but F1 is a business where performance counts

[@easyhelp]

It is a viscous circle: the team doesn't have money, so they make pressure on drivers to perform to attract sponsors. But the pressure could trigger unwanted crashes... It is not a good team for F1 rookie disregarding his driving skills.

[@william7286]

Haas needs a works partner, desperately. I would hope that Gene and Guenther are aggressively pursuing GM/Cadillac.

[@timlindquist5224]

To be fair Gunther kept 2 drivers together for way too long being MAG and GRO. Terrible team mates and then Nakita totally proving that Haas take money over talent. Terrible team management.