Steiner ’stands by’ latest Mick Schumacher criticism

Gunther Steiner is refusing to back down amid ongoing spats with both the Schumacher family and the Haas team.

Ralf Schumacher, a former F1 driver, is currently refusing to appear on screen with his fellow expert pundit Steiner on the German broadcaster RTL.

Schumacher’s ban was imposed following the latest comments by Steiner about Ralf’s nephew Mick, who is attempting to return to the Formula 1 grid next year after being ousted in late 2022 by the highly-critical former Haas boss.

Steiner said he would not advise Alpine to sign the 25-year-old German.

"I stand by that," Steiner told Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

"I never attack a person directly and have nothing negative to say about Mick or Ralf. But when I am asked what I would do as team boss in a certain situation, I answer honestly.

"Some things were also taken out of context by the German press," he added. "But I give everyone the right to have their own opinion and I do it that way myself. I don’t change my opinion because someone else doesn’t like it."

Another conflict in ex-F1 team boss Steiner’s life is legal action with and against his former employer, Haas.

The 59-year-old did not want to comment on the back-and-forth lawsuits, except to say: "I am still in contact with some people and get on very well with Nico Hulkenberg.

"But I don’t get up in the morning and follow what’s going on there. Thanks to my previous connections, I obviously have more insight into the team, but it’s no longer my day job that takes up all of my time every day.

"The car is a bit more competitive this year than last year, which was always the main goal and it makes me happy, also for the team itself," Steiner added.