from
https://www.autoweek.com/racing/formula-1/a37681140/haas-f1-team-rookies-schumacher-mazepin-saved-team/

Haas F1 Team Principal Says Rookies Mick Schumacher,
Nikita Mazepin Saved the Team

Guenther Steiner tells Danish tabloid that Haas needed to find pay
drivers to help keep the team in business.

BY GLOBAL MOTORSPORTS MEDIA
SEP 21, 2021
nikita mazepin haas f1 teamMIGUEL MEDINAGETTY IMAGES

Haas F1 Team principal Gunther Steiner says he had no option other than
to fire Haas' former drivers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen and
replace them with rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin for 2021.

This year, the struggling American team, which has yet to score a point
and is in last place in the F1 Constructors' Championship standings, has
been in the headlines for three main reasons—a conspicuous lack of pace,
the controversial Mazepin, and the intensifying on- and off-track
disputes between the Russian driver and teammate Schumacher.

After 2020, Haas surprised many F1 pundits by ousting its experienced
driver lineup of Grosjean and Magnussen. Now, Steiner now says he had no
choice.

"I had to find opportunities to keep the team going (financially),"
Steiner said in an article published by the Danish tabloid Ekstra Bladet
newspaper. "Many families depend on it. You have to make difficult
decisions sometimes even if you don't like them. There was no anger or
dissatisfaction—it was just a business decision.

"The alternative was that we would not be here. People need to
understand that. So if we had kept Kevin but Haas did not survive, Kevin
wouldn't have had a car to drive anyway," Steiner told the Danish
publication.

He says the answer he found was to take the two rookies with solid
financial backing. Schumacher is a well-funded and Ferrari driver, while
the company headed by Mazepin's wealthy father Dmitry—Uralkali—is the
team's title sponsor.

f1 grand prix of great britain mazepin, schumacher
Nikita Mazepin, left, and Mick Schumacher have found at least a
temporary racing home at Haas F1.
BRYN LENNON - FORMULA 1GETTY IMAGES

Steiner admits it is at times more difficult to work with rookie
drivers, but thinks it would have been a bad experience for Magnussen
and Grosjean to drive the uncompetitive 2021 car anyway. Both drivers
are now racing in the United States. Grosjean has three podiums,
including two runner-up finishes, in the NTT IndyCar Series. Magnussen
has reached the podium four times in eight races in the IMSA WeatherTech
SportsCar Series, and he's started a race in IndyCar.

"We have always known that they were pretty good drivers," Steiner said.
"Otherwise we would not have had them here. They have moved into
completely new territories and on top of that each in their own direction.

"There is no point having people here who are dissatisfied.At least the
new drivers can learn about Formula 1 and get some experience. Giving
two experienced drivers a car like this, we could all potentially pull
the team down. Even if you paid them for it.

"I feel it myself. If 2022 was not coming, I would not want to do this
season."

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comments include

rro5797
Haas F1 has been an epic fail since the beginning mostly because of
Steiner and his disdained for American drivers. Haas F1 is "not" an
American F1 team, it's Steiner (German) & a Russian Oligarch F1 team.
Haas had a chance to make his F1 team American from top to bottom and
now look at it. USA F1 fans lost interest in Haas F1 long ago.

dirtyriver
Steiner stinks as bad or maybe worst then his team of misfits!

pcw5409
This year still an American team. Next year, who knows, a Russian team
maybe? I think Haas has already made up his mind, unfortunately!

rrs3613
The team and its two drivers stink. The little Russian can run it into a
wall and I wouldn't care.

karter51
I just want to second bra3644. Don't you guys realize how expensive it
is to run any kind of race operation? Let alone a Formula One team?
Aren't they going to cap it next year a 150 MILLION DOLLARS? If one of
you has that floating around in your pocket, maybe you can go buy a
team:) Just the fact that we have an American owned team is pretty cool.
We'll see what happens next year when the new car specs have to be run.
Haas might be a bit more competitive,

bra3644
Hey, Hass F1 team is still running isn’t it? Love the folks who don’t
have a dime in the fight spouting off. Young Mick is getting drive time
which is what he needs. Mazepin? We all wish we could have his seat.

Motionman
Haas has gone to almost hero to almost zero in just a couple of years.
Why Gene hasn't sold the team to Mazepin Senior and just walked away is
a mystery to me. Running DFL is not fun.

kwr7542
So acquiring 2 well funded rookies with great resources and no talent
will save the team?