The Meran team boss: “Mick Schumacher is a blessing and a curse”

The Haas team has competed in exactly 100 Grand Prix. What is the balance?

We have built a team that is here to stay. That's the most important thing and not that easy in Formula 1. You're in a very exclusive club, almost only the traditional teams have survived, but we're still there too. Everyone else who tried in the last 10 years is no longer there. That's why it's nice that we can say we've competed in 100 Grand Prix and now we're looking forward to the next 100.

And what are the results from a purely sporting perspective?

In the last 20 years, no one has gotten off to such a good start. Finishing fifth in the constructors' championship in just the third year will be difficult for anyone new. Then in 2019 we built a bad car, that was entirely our fault. When we were trying to get out of there, Corona came and all the uncertainty about what would happen next. My job last year was solely to make sure that it continued, that we were there for the next 100 or 200 Grands Prix. And we achieved that. We then decided to take one step back in order to be able to take two steps forward for 2022. Next year there will be completely new regulations. It wouldn't have made sense for us to invest money and time on the 2021 car, so we decided that this would be a transition year for us, knowing that the sporting results won't be great. We have two young drivers who we can build up in peace. We also reorganized the technical team because it fell apart due to the pandemic. This team has been working 100 percent on the car for 2022 since February. The goal is to be competitive again next year. With the new budget limit of $145 million, you also have to decide whether to invest more for this year or next.

Does Haas exhaust this limit or is the budget below it?

We are close to this limit, but the big difference is with the big teams. They previously had three times our budget and now they only have 10 or 20 million more available. And we as a team are much more efficient because we have a much smaller infrastructure. “We have built a team that is here to stay.” Günther Steiner takes stock How is the team dealing with the fact that it is a transition season? That could also be a motivational brake.

That won't be it. This is also why we took two young drivers who want to get better from race to race. Experienced pilots would certainly be frustrated in such a situation. But the team is fully motivated because everyone knows that we have two good drivers and a good future ahead of us. It will certainly be 23 tough races, but there will also be some highlights that no one expected. What's important is that the drivers are ready for next year when we have a more competitive car.

In Mick Schumacher they have signed a driver with a big name. Does this bring the racing team image and maybe even money?

His commitment is a blessing and a curse for us. We will have a hard time this year because hopes are very high, especially in Germany, and I know that we will have to listen to criticism from there. You have to give Mick some time, his father didn't become world champion straight away. On the other hand, we now also have a German sponsor who probably got involved mainly because of him.

Does Mick Schumacher have something of his father?

His behavior is totally professional. I didn't know his father well, but Mick grew up around him. And he knows what it takes to be successful. He is a very correct and very well-mannered young man. He grew up in a family where his father became world champion seven times. You take something away with you.

The Haas team with their car: Schumacher, Steiner and Mazepin (from left). © LAT / Sam Bloxham

Then we come to the other driver. He's supposed to be the opposite of Mick Schumacher. Is Nikita Masepin driving for Haas because the Russian company Uralkali is the new main sponsor?

Absolutely. That belongs together. His family is very wealthy, but he is also talented, very talented in fact. If you get to know him as a person, then you are dealing with an educated person. He studies at the University. Sure he made mistakes, but he recognized that. Young people do stupid things, you have to deal with that. He still has a lot to learn as a driver, but he is fast and highly motivated. He wants to be world champion. He won two races in Formula 2 last year, so he can do something. But of course it helped us that he could also contribute something financially to the team as a sponsor.

How long does the contract with Ferrari last and have you ever considered looking for another engine partner?

You always look around, that's part of my job, to see what's on the market. But our relationship with Ferrari is very good, without Ferrari we probably wouldn't have started at all. There are moments of crisis even in good relationships, and we have them too. We came fifth in the third year with Ferrari. This must not be forgotten. And we have 120 people who work for us here in Italy. We have our offices here at Ferrari and have brought 30 people from Ferrari to join us. That's why it's best for us to stay where we are in the next few years. “I'm not an actor, I can't do that. I’ll be put on a microphone and then they’ll film what’s happening.” Günther Steiner about the Netflix documentary “drive to survive” Doesn't Formula 1 have a problem if it continues to rely on the combustion engine?

In my opinion, electric cars will certainly be the future of city transport. But on medium and long-haul routes, a hybrid concept is the better solution. There will be new fuels that are environmentally friendly. I don't know exactly what the development will bring. But I can't imagine doing without the combustion engine completely. However, electric will certainly play a dominant role on short journeys.

You have already become a minor Netflix star thanks to the documentary series “Drive to Survive”. Do you think Formula 1 will benefit from this series?

People don't believe me, but I haven't seen a season yet. But the series is going well, Netflix and Formula 1 are happy. The series would definitely have been canceled if it didn't do well. I'm told that because of this series, more younger people and women are now following Formula 1. In any case, I can confirm that nothing is played. I'm not an actor, I can't do that. I'm given a microphone and then what happens is filmed. In any case, Formula 1 is very happy with it because it brings them a new group of spectators.

There were a few surprises during the test drives. Were Mercedes' problems a bluff or were they real?

It wasn't a bluff, they've already had problems. But if anyone can solve problems quickly, it's Mercedes. This happened to them two years ago. Red Bull was certainly good, but I think Mercedes will pick up where they left off last year. I hope not, because this dominance is slowly becoming tiring and is not good for Formula 1.

Interview: Otto Schöpf

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The Meran team boss: “Mick Schumacher is a blessing and a curse”

Haas has been involved in Formula 2016 since 1 and since then Günther Steiner from Meran has been team boss at the US racing team. This season, the 55-year-old has Mick Schumacher and Nikita Masepin under his wing - two young, talented drivers who could hardly be more different.

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