Guenther Steiner and Gene Haas phone calls criticising Mick Schumacher’s crashes revealed on Netflix’s Drive To Survive
Team principal Guenther Steiner and owner Gene Ha🧸as were repeatedly recorded by the Drive To Survive cameras in conversation about their driver’s crashes, and whether to axe him from their line-up.
Schumacher was ultimately replaced for the 2023 season by 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Nico Hulkenberg - and Drive To Survive reveals𒀰 how, even after his best performance of 2022, conversations were ongoing about getting rid of him.
After Schumacher crashed in 🥀Saudi Arabia last year, Steiner was filmed saying: “I need to phone Gene now. F****** hell.”
“‘Hi Gene’.”
The owner replied: “‘Schu𒅌mach💧er’s car looked pretty bad when they hauled it up’.”
Steiner: “‘It is f*****. Betweenꩵ half a million and a million [dollars’ worth of damage], I would say. F****** hell.
“Gave him a year to learn and what does he do in the second race? He f****** destroys the car just becauℱse the other one is faster’.”
Gene Haas said: “‘Have aඣ little talk with Schumacher. He’s getting in over his head’.”
Steiner: “‘Yeah, yeah, OK, thanks Gene’.”
Schumacher was then interviewed by Netflix and said: “As a driver you want to go to the edge to figure out that, at 100%, you will go over it. T𝐆o do it at a track like Saudi🐷, was it the smartest thing? Maybe not.”
Steiner, in an interview with the show, said: “It is frustrating because there was no need for it. Nobody is just hanging around here in F1, having a good time. You need to perform.”
Steiner was then filmed by Netflix in conversation with his other driver, 168澳洲5最新开奖结果:Kevin Magnussen.
Magnussen said: “Mick can do it, he has more.”
Steiner replied: “But as soon as he triesꦐ to have mo🃏re, he f****** crashes, you know?”
Schumacher told Netflix: “Self doubt is coming in beca🌊use I feel like the points are slipping away again.”
Schumacher would crash into the barriers in Monaco causing ꦡanother phone call between team principal an♏d owner.
Steiner said: “ꦍ‘Hi Gene෴, that was disappointing, eh?’”
Gene Haas: “‘How was Mick doing?’”
Steiner: “‘🎃He didn’t get in the groove from the beginning’.꧋”
Genꦍe Haas: “‘You know, it needs talent. You can’t d😼evelop talent’.”
Steiner: “‘No, you cannot buy it or develop it’.”
Gene Haas: “‘That is the dead man walking area’.”
Steiner: “‘If he doesn’t pull his trousers up, he wဣi🦩ll be soon’.”
Before the F1 Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Steiner and then-Alfa Romeo boss Fred Vasse🐭ur were filmed chatting in the paddock.
Steiner joked to Vasꦿseur: “When are we going to crash into each other for🌟 the first time?”
Steiner was then recorded talking to his team, saying: “‘He knows if he crashes her🧔e again, they’ll rip him to pieces. It’s not me, then. It’s the pub🌃lic.
“‘Do you know how much I have to listen to Gene?💖 You have no idea. Gene doesn’t h♉ate anything more than crashing a car’.”
Steiner was later overheard by the cameras saying: “If Mick doesn’t wanﷺt to stay ꧒here, he is free to leave if he doesn’t like it.”
Schumacher finally scoreജd points at the F1 British Grand Prix at Silverstone last summer, and Netflix caught the ❀jubilant celebrations, included by Steiner.
But it became clear that talks were already ongoing꧒ to✱ replace him.
Magnussen said to Steiner: “I don’t know what your plans are for next year.🌳”
Steiner: “Just need to find somebody.”
Magnussen: “Daniel Ricciardo?”
Steiner: “We can’t aff🦋ord him, Kevin. He wants 10 f****𒈔** million, minimum!”
Magnussen: “What about Hulken?”
Steiner: 𒐪“We need to be smart. As much as you think I’m not smart, I am pretty smart🅷!”
Steiner said in an interview with Netflix after Schumacher’s best performance: “The seat is still open. We are thinking it could be anyb𓂃ody. We will take our time to decide wh꧒o will sit in it.”
Schumacher was eventually axed from their 2023 line-up, replaced by N𒀰ico Hulkenberg. This year he is Mercedes’ third driver.
James was a s𝓡ports journalist at🅰 Sky Sports for a decade covering everything from American sports, to football, to F1.
