Mick Schumacher believes Haas does not need to hire an experienced Formula One reserve driver next year to help with car development.
Before the Russian Grand Prix, Haas boss Gunther Steiner said that having a veteran give input to rookies Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin would be beneficial to the team.
He believed the team lacked a good reference for judging the speed and feedback provided by its current lineup.
Schumacher, on the other hand, is sceptical of the suggestion, believing that he and his partner are capable of providing all Haas requires.
“Honestly, I think that we’re pretty much getting the best out of the car,” said the German, when asked if having an experienced reserve to add input would be valuable.
“I don’t think that there is a need for that. Especially if you know reserve drivers don’t really get to drive much.
“Obviously we don’t know how that would be, but again I think we’re doing the best we can, and I think some qualifyings show that we are able to extract the maximum out of the car.”
Mazepin, Schumacher’s teammate, is more open to the idea, believing it should be chosen entirely by the team’s management.
“I have never been asked that question [inside the team],” he explained. “I don’t think the drivers get to choose it, and I don’t think it’s correct.
“But if I was to be asked, I think more help in the position where we’re at now is good help. So I would be very open to any solution.
“But I think Gunther is a team boss and he ultimately needs to take these decisions. Not me. I’m too young for it.”
Steiner has stated that a decision on taking a reserve will be taken during the winter, and that he will need to work around in any Friday running restrictions.
For example, next year’s rules could require Haas to run an extra rookie driver on Fridays, further limiting any track running opportunities.
“If we feel at the end of the season that we need somebody, we will look into how it goes,” explained Steiner.
“We haven’t looked for a reference driver yet and we are not looking. That decision will be taken at the end of the year, if we feel that that would help us to get better.
“But obviously the issue then is, if you put a reference driver or an experienced driver in, the young guys lose track time because they cannot drive the car, as you are not free to do what you want these days with testing.
“So there’s all pros and cons which you have to weigh up, and that’s where I left it out there. There is the possibility, but there is not a decision taken.”
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