Steiner on Schumacher contract extension: 'Don't have to wait for Ferrari'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Guenther Steiner does not have to wait for Ferrari's decision on what the team wants to do with Mick Schumacher. However, the Haas team boss is in no hurry to talk about the German's contract extension.
Schumacher is now in his second season in Formula 1 and has already secured a number of strong results this year. In Silverstone he finished eighth and in Austria sixth. However, Schumacher has also had a number of incidents that have cost Haas dearly.
His close relationship with the Ferrari team led to Schumacher being placed with Haas in 2021, as their car is powered by the Ferrari engine. Nevertheless, Steiner will discuss Schumacher's contract with team owner Gene Haas. The German RTL already reported that Steiner would not be in a hurry to finalise his contract. The first talks would only take place in Monza.
Steiner is not waiting for Ferrari's opinion
"We don’t have to wait to see what Ferrari says. We never decide the driver before the summer break and we will not do so this year. Obviously I will start to speak with Gene over the summer break", Steiner tells Racer.com. According to the team boss, Schumacher will hear what is going to happen at the end of September or in October.
Even though Schumacher is attached to the Ferrari Driver Academy, the decision on the drivers driving for Haas is still made by Steiner and Haas themselves. "I don’t want to speak about our Ferrari deal because otherwise they get upset!", jokes the team boss. "At the end of the day I don’t know the real deal between Ferrari and Mick — and I don’t need to know. If he decides to go somewhere else, I cannot change it."