F1 News: Haas Chief Almost Kept Mick Schumacher on for 2023 Season - "He drove hard and good"
Guenther Steiner, Haas team principal, has commented on the decision to part ways with young German driver, Mick Schumacher, at the end of the 2022 season and that they were close to keeping him on.
Schumacher has taken a role in Mercedes as a reserve driver for 2023 since leaving the Haas team. Shortly after the 2022 season Haas revealed that they had signed Nico Hulkenberg to take Schumacher's place on the team, after two years as a reserve driver for Aston Martin.
In a recent interview, Steiner said that he "absolutely" considered keeping Schumacher on for another year. He explained that it was not a quick and easy decision:
“Mick improved a lot this season, you all saw it, I don’t have to tell you that one. And that’s why it took us so long, you know?
“We didn’t take this decision, as people think, before the summer. It took us this long to decide what is best for the team, as I always said. He drove hard and good in some races.”
The Brazilian Grand Prix was one of the biggest moments for the team with Kevin Magnussen taking his first pole position, as well as the teams, for the sprint race. Unfortunately, they had one driver on either end of qualifying with Magnussen in first and Schumacher in twentieth.
Steiner continued to explain that had it been Schumacher in pole position, his future with the team would not have been any different.
He added:
“Nothing would have changed. Because you cannot make this decision on an emotional one race or one qualifying result – that would be wrong both ways.”
Schumacher remains motivated for the future and explained during an interview with The Race that he thinks he can still win a championship in the future. He said:
"I’ve always proved myself in the sense that whatever category I’ve started in, I always got on top of it quite quickly. So I do have a feeling I can get on top of Formula 1 in the sense that I am capable of winning the world championship at the right time, in the right car."