Günther Steiner advises Alpine not to sign Mick Schumacher
Former Haas F1 team principal Günther Steiner advised Alpine not to sign Mick Schumacher as a possible replacement for Esteban Ocon.
Monday, Alpine announced that Esteban Ocon’s contract would not be renewed, so he will leave at the end of the season. Many names have been linked to the vacant seat, including junior driver Jack Doohan.
Mick Schumacher, who currently races for Alpine in the World Endurance Championship, is an outsider candidate for the position. The German driver raced for two years at Haas before being replaced by Nico Hülkenberg. Their relationship was tense, with the German stating that he did not have the full support of his boss.
Günther Steiner got frustrated with the number of Schumacher’s accidents that were mediatized and with the interference of his entourage, particularly by the German press. During the Red Flags podcast, Steiner suggested that Alpine should consider signing Carlos Sainz or Yuki Tsunoda instead of Schumacher.
« For the moment, no », he said. « You have to get the best driver you know. I am thinking about people who show that they are very good. And as a factory team, you have to do your best. » A rather blunt response, in line with his image.
He was also questioned about Esteban Ocon following his collision with Pierre Gasly in Monaco. Obviously, you think about it, absolutely, you think about it, because it’s something you don’t want, he added.
« And I always say, teammates don’t need to be best friends, they don’t need to go out to dinner together, but they must respect each other. Because ultimately, as in life in general, you must respect others.
« If you don’t like driving with this guy on your team, go somewhere else. If I don’t like being somewhere, I leave. I’m not going to try to fight at the expense of someone else, who is the team. » It refers to the well-known rivalry between the two Frenchmen since their teenage years.
« So one of them should have said, I can’t be on the team with this other guy, and someone else might have needed to see that. Everyone knows the story between them and even their parents, apparently, they were supposed to keep them apart.
