Haas System 1 Crew Principal Gunther Steiner has revealed that talks round extending Mick Schumacher’s stick with the group have but to start.
Schumacher is in his second F1 season, after stepping up from System 2 because the reigning champion for a rookie marketing campaign in 2021 in an uncompetitive automotive.
It has been a blended season for Schumacher in 2022, with two huge crashes in Saudi Arabia and Monaco costing the group thousands and thousands in restore harm whereas he scored his first factors in Nice Britain, following up in Austria subsequent day out.
Nevertheless, Schumacher has additionally struggled to match teammate Kevin Magnussen at instances, together with his F1 future not assured as his contract is up on the finish of the present season.
And his boss Steiner has admitted that contract extension talks are but to open between the events.
Haas “wish to see what’s taking place” over Schumacher F1 future
Talking solely on the newest RacingNews365.com podcast to host Michael Butterworth and RacingNews365.com Editorial Director Dieter Rencken, Steiner defined that current exercise within the F1 driver market hadn’t affected Haas, given Schumacher was briefly linked to the vacant Aston Martin seat upon Sebastian Vettel’s retirement.
“I do not actually know what Mick has performed, and now we have not spoken a couple of drive for subsequent 12 months with Mick,” stated Steiner.
“He hasn’t spoken to us and we have not spoken to him – we wish to see what’s taking place.
“This Aston Martin factor occurred in a short time and so no person had time to essentially give it some thought, however there have been rumours he [Schumacher] may exchange Vettel, however that went away fairly fast.
“We did not have a look at what different individuals had been doing.”
Steiner additionally confirmed that any determination over Schumacher’s future with the group could be made collectively with Ferrari and that there’s “nothing unilateral” on both facet.
He advised a timeframe of after the European races – the ultimate one being the Italian Grand Prix on 11 September – for a ultimate determination.
Steiner shocked by Oscar Piastri Alpine state of affairs
Steiner admitted on the podcast that he was shocked concerning the present Oscar Piastri standoff with Alpine as that they had “introduced him up” to the verge of F1.
“It was an open secret that Fernando was speaking to Aston Martin when Vettel left, and I wasn’t that shocked by that,” defined Steiner.
“Piastri was seen as an ‘Alpine driver’ for my part, they introduced him up, introduced him to this stage and helped him, so I assumed for positive he’d be driving there in F1 after Fernando left.
“I feel there’s extra behind it, however I haven’t got any particulars of it.”
Steiner additionally refused to be drawn on the continuing authorized battle between Haas and former driver Nikita Mazepin – “we’re engaged on it and we are going to resolve it” – who was sacked in pre-season after Russia invaded Ukraine and amid his household’s hyperlinks to Russian President Vladimir Putin.