Schumacher had bad luck at Haas: 'We now have to kill two birds with one stone'

Haas that had bet on the future in 2021 with Nikita Mazepin and Schumacher was forced to bring back former Haas driver Kevin Magnussen at the beginning of 2022. The Dane's experience proved to be of great use and at the end of 2022, the team opted to bet on experience again anyway. Haas placed Hulkenberg in the seat next to Magnussen instead of the young Schumacher.

Schumacher actually only one year of experience

Steiner, present at the Beyond the Grid podcast, is asked if Schumacher has not actually had a fair chance to build up experience. Schumacher started in 2021, but the car was so bad that year that he couldn't do anything with it, nor could he learn from an experienced teammate. Also, the team chose not to continue developing that whole year. Schumacher was only given the Grand Prix rhythm in 2021, but could not really race yet. Schumacher would thus have only one year of experience.

Steiner: "We know that. We know how fast he is, but we want to make two steps at once. That's why we need experience. I already said he is like the team. We need [both] to get better. He will be better, but how do we get there as soon as possible. You can't buy experience, you have to gain it. And that takes time. We don't have forever with the team."

The team's ambition is high and it is painful for Steiner to see how the team has deteriorated in the two years before 2022. The plan is to get back to the midfield within two years and compete for the top five. Although Steiner says experience cannot be bought, it seems that is not true for F1 teams. Indeed, with the acquisition of Hulkenberg, inexperienced Schumacher has been traded for a big load of experience in one winter.