Steiner branded "a fool" for Schumacher "mistake"

Sam Hall
Thursday 10 November 2022 12:30

Former F1 driver Hans-Joachim Stuck has branded Guenther Steiner "a fool" for failing to confirm Mick Schumacher at Haas for the 2023 season.

Haas holds the final vacancy on the F1 grid with the team keen to give Schumacher every opportunity to prove he has what it takes to compete in F1.

Team owner Gene Haas said ahead of the United States Grand Prix that all the German needs to do to secure his future is to score points, but his drought has since extended to nine races - the longest current run of any driver.

This would, claimed Haas, offset the cost of damaging crashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco.

Despite this, two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Stuck believes Haas should persist with the 23-year-old for a third season.

READ MORE: Steiner hits back at critics of Schumacher handling - "Tough s**t"

"I say very clearly that Mick belongs in Formula 1," Stuck told Servus TV.

"A young driver sometimes has to throw a car away because he doesn't know what the limit is.

"Gunther Steiner has made a mistake in putting unnecessary pressure on Mick with his criticism. I say: If someone has a seat and doesn't take Mick, he's a fool.

"Once he's in the right car, he'll be a big one in the future."

The announcement that Sauber will become the factory Audi team in 2026 quickly saw lines drawn between Schumacher and the German manufacturer.

But should the former F2 champion drop out of F1 after just two years in the sport, Stuck conceded it is unlikely he would return.

Stuck added: "Unfortunately, Audi is still too early for Mick because they won't be there until 2026.

"If he's not in Formula 1 then, he's gone. That's very clear."