Haas boss Guenther Steiner talked about the current status of the team's driver duo and admitted that the production of parts for the car has been in higher demand than originally planned
Haas did not expect to have to manufacture so many parts for the 2022 Formula One season, and boss Guenther Steiner has admitted that the team's production is "bottled up." The team has also suffered from at least three expensive crashes by Mick Schumacher so far, in Saudi Arabia, Miami, and Monaco, which further increases the amount of parts that need to be manufactured. Thus, Steiner acknowledged that the American team was caught by surprise at the need for so much fabrication.
"At the moment, the biggest problem has been getting the [car] parts manufactured, because we are so far behind in terms of production," Steiner explained to Britain's Channel 4 TV. "We didn't foresee making so many parts. Production is tight at the moment, so we're trying to catch up, to stay alive. We had a front wing shipped [on Saturday] only to have one more. We had one, but not two. It's challenging," he admitted.
Despite the difficulty with production, Haas had one piece of good news in 2022: the return of Kevin Magnussen, who returned to Formula 1 already bringing points to the team - although he has not managed any top-10 finishes in the last four races as he suffered from car problems. Steiner praised the momentum of the Dane, who has been outperforming Mick Schumacher frequently.
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"He's gotten a lot more mature in the year he hasn't been with us," he said. "He puts in a lot of effort, but he's at a point where he's happy to be back. And I also think it's the first time he's been called to drive a car and doesn't have to go after one - that, in my opinion, gives you confidence. He is in a good place at the moment, he has a family, all those things in life. He is very relaxed, but very focused," he explained.
As for Schumacher, the promising German has been increasingly questioned within Formula 1. After a period of adaptation last year in which he calmly overcame teammate Nikita Mazepin, the son of the seven-time champion Michael Schumacher has not yet made the 'leap' that everyone expected in the main category of motorsport and is still remembered more for the incidents he generates than for moments of genius on the track.
"For sure. Last year was a year where we had no expectations, of transition, without pressure," he acknowledged. "In the second year, you think, 'I did well in the first,' but Kevin [Magnussen] comes back to F1 and gets points immediately in the first race. Of course, especially with Mick [Schumacher] being so young, at some point you end up doubting yourself. As much as every driver says 'I'm tough, it would never happen to me,' it doesn't work that way," he closed.