Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed the moment he knew that he would not renew Mick Schumacher’s contract with the team.
Towards the end of the 2022, Haas announced it was hiring Nico Hulkenberg, bringing him back to the grid after a three-year break, to replace Schumacher as Kevin Magnussen’s teammate.
Steiner, who is known for his candour, was clear that Schumacher’s repeat and costly crashes were behind the decision to bring his time at the team to a close.
With three significant crashes at the Jeddah Cornich Circuit, around the streets of Monaco and at Suzuka, Schumacher is thought to have cost the team around $2 million in repair bills.
The crash at Suzuka was the point where Schumacher crossed the line with Steiner, as it occurred during the in-lap.
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“It happened on the in-lap!” Steiner told The Times.
“Sure it was very wet out there on the track, but nobody else managed to write off a car while they were driving back to the pits.
“We lose a car after five minutes and now have to build another.
“I cannot have a driver who I am not confident can take a car around safely on a slow lap. It’s just ridiculous.
“How many people could we employ with $700,000? And I have to now find that money,” he added.
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So far, Steiner’s decision to hire Hulkenberg appears to have been a good call, as he secured P7 in Australia and two Q3 performances across three races.
Schumacher, on the other hand, appears to have found a more comfortable fit with Mercedes, his father’s old team, as a reserve driver.
Supporting the team seems to have won him favour with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, as the Austrian motorsports boss stated he wouldn’t hesitate to put Schumacher in the car if Lewis Hamilton or George Russell were unavailable.