Haas: Schumacher gains came amid 'unrest from outsiders'
Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says Mick Schumacher's timely upswing in form came at a time when "unrest" incited by outsiders threatened the young German.
Schumacher's early season track record, marked by mistakes and two big crashes, put a black cloud over the 23-year-old's F1 prospects.
But his second smash-up at the Monaco Grand Prix led to a crucial one-on-one with Steiner during which the Haas boss made clear to Schumacher, in no uncertain terms, that while he retained his team's full support, accidents were no longer an option.
Despite the pressure, the young charger scored his first career points in F1 at Silverstone and followed up the performance with a strong run to P6 in Austria.
It was a timely turnaround for the Ferrari protégé, and one that was executed as team and driver remained calm in the face of Schumacher's difficulties. But also against a backdrop of "unrest" stirred by outsiders according to Steiner.
"That was the aim, to bring that calm in," Steiner told Motorsport.com. "The nice thing is that the calm has come exactly where outsiders have tried to bring in unrest.
"I wouldn't say that's a satisfaction, but we worked towards the goal of Mick being successful and going fast. We have achieved that. I'm pleased about that."
Steiner reckons that Schumacher's early season struggles relative to Haas returnee Kevin Magnussen were due in part to the fact that he had served his apprenticeship in F1 last year against a significantly weaker teammate – Nikita Mazepin.
"It was also difficult for Mick at the beginning, because he was quite superior last year," explained the Italian. "And then all of a sudden he's quite inferior.
"I do think that has an influence on how a driver drives, how he puts pressure on himself. He had to learn that.
"I always say, 'The further up you get, the thinner the air gets and the thicker the skin you need.'
"Take the duel with Verstappen at Silverstone. He lost it, but that was good for him because he was able to learn a lot in the process.
"The best way to do that is from the really good ones. When you fight against opponents like that, you learn quickly.
"At the back, I don't think he was able to learn that much last year about how Formula 1 works. A lot of the guys come from Formula 2 and they think they already know how Formula 1 works.
"But it takes time. You can't force it. It's like school: you can't learn the curriculum of four years in two days either.
"Now Mick has to learn to drive in a better car and continue to fight at the front and score points. Logically, the further up front you fight, the harder it is. That is normal.
"That's why I think it's good that we have reached this level now. Now we have to take one level after the other until it's normal to fight for points."
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