Formula 1 legend Bernie Ecclestone is critical of Haas team boss Günther Steiner’s dealings with Mick Schumacher.
The young Formula 1 driver doesn’t need a team leader to tell him what he’s doing wrong, said the 91-year-old ex-F1 boss in an exclusive RTL/ntv interview. Ecclestone is certain: Michael Schumacher would take on the Haas boss.
Formula 1 warhorse Bernie Ecclestone strengthens Mick Schumacher’s back, even if the current achievements of the 23-year-old are “difficult to assess”, as he said in the RTL / ntv interview with reporter Felix Görner. “We don’t know how good or bad the car is. It makes a big difference whether the style of the car suits his driving style or not,” Ecclestone continued.
The Brit does not think the behavior of team boss Steiner, who publicly criticized his protégé after the crash in Monaco, is correct. But for counterproductive. Mick knows he’s not performing as well as he should. “He doesn’t need people telling him that all the time. He needs someone to help him and not criticize him too much.” The big question for Schumacher is therefore: “Can he take on Günther and give him advice and not the other way around?”
“That would help a lot”
Ecclestone believes father Michael’s influence is lacking in the current situation. The record world champion would talk Tacheles with the team boss, says Ecclestone. “If Michael were here, he would show Günther (Steiner, ed.) where to go. That would help a lot.” After his serious skiing accident at the end of 2013, Michael Schumacher lives in Switzerland, shielded from the public. How he is doing is a private matter.
Mick is currently in a difficult position, “because if he upsets the team and they kick him out, then the question arises: is another team ready to take him in? So he suffers a little and hopes someone will give him a chance .”
Ecclestone has absolutely no doubts about Mick’s potential to survive in F1. “He has the ability. And I’m sure it’s his will. It’s whether there’s a team that wants to take him and try to make sure: is he as good as his father?”
Ecclestone wants to see Mick in the Mercedes
The former Formula 1 zampano definitely wants a different team for Schumi jr. “I’d like to see him in a different car, a more competitive car. I’d like to see him in the earlier Mercedes car, that would be nice.” Mercedes and Mick? Most recently, Mercedes-Capo Toto Wolff said in an RTL interview that Schumacher could be an option for Mercedes in the future. “Mick, with or without a name Schumacher, is someone with his strengths who will always be on our radar,” said the Mercedes team boss.
Ecclestone also cites Red Bull as a positive example. “They look at their drivers and they try to find the best setup for their drivers. That way you can see how good the second driver in your team is. They are very good and make sure that the car suits the driver.”
Mercedes, Red Bull – the reality is different for Schumacher at the moment. Completely different. The German is still waiting for the first points in the premier class, sometimes he got in his own way like in Monaco or Miami, sometimes his racer went on strike like last time in Canada. Ecclestone’s advice to Haas: “You have to modify the car to suit him.”