Ralf Schumacher ‘convinced’ Mick Schumacher would still be in F1 without Guenther Steiner

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Ralf Schumacher has renewed his feud with the former Haas boss Guenther Steiner. Schumacher blames Steiner for the failure of his nephew, Mick, in Formula 1.

Mick Schumacher made his F1 debut with Haas in 2020 and kept the seat for a second season. After seeing off fellow rookie Nikita Mazepin in his first year, he lost out to returning veteran Kevin Magnussen.

That cost Schumacher his place on the grid for 2023 as Haas pivoted to a more experienced line-up of Magnussen and Nico Hulkenberg.

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The German, whose father Michael famously won seven world championships, stayed in the paddock through reserve driver gigs at Mercedes/McLaren, but has now left the sport for good. He will compete in IndyCar this year alongside other former F1 drivers like Marcus Ericsson and Romain Grosjean.

Ralf Schumacher says Mick Schumacher just needed ‘a different team principal’

Steiner wanted Ralf Schumacher’s ‘blood’ when they started publicly arguing during the 2022 season.

The relationship soured so much that Steiner refused to speak to Sky Germany, Schumacher’s employer, at one stage.

While Steiner wrote in his 2024 book that they had ‘buried the hatchet’, Schumacher has indirectly renewed his criticism.

Speaking to outlets including Auto Motor und Sport, he implicitly accused Steiner of ‘shouting in the media’ rather than giving his drivers ‘support’ – an accusation he first made during the original feud.

• READ MORE: Ralf Schumacher names which three current F1 drivers are ‘significantly worse’ than Mick Schumacher

“I am firmly convinced that Mick would still be in Formula 1 today with a different team principal,” said Schumacher. “Especially when things are so difficult, a young driver needs support.

“You don’t need someone who’s constantly shouting in the media. That’s obviously not helpful.”

Magnussen beat Mick in around two-thirds of the competitive sessions in 2022. The latter was also blighted by crashes, even when he wasn’t pushing flat-out in practice.

Gene Haas moved on from Steiner at the end of 2024 and appointed Ayao Komatsu as his replacement. Steiner worked in the media last year and has now taken over the Tech3 MotoGP team.

Ralf Schumacher names the other young driver who deserves an F1 seat

Schumacher earned his F1 chance off the back of his taking the F2 title in 2020, but winning that championship doesn’t offer a guaranteed path to the highest level.

Indeed, 2025 champion Leonardo Fornaroli is without an F1 seat for the current season, though he has joined title holders McLaren as a reserve driver.

Ralf Schumacher believes he’s more deserving of a seat than ‘some of the others currently racing’, but once again, he didn’t name any names.

“It’s clear the door is closed,” he said of Mick. “This move [to IndyCar] certainly closed it, but it was already closed before, after being out for so long. New talents are always emerging.

“Leonardo Fornaroli just won the Formula 2 championship, and before that, Formula 3. He’s a superb driver. He deserves a chance, unlike some of the others currently racing.”