Mick Schumacher will hope the public criticism of his boss by his uncle will not harm his chances of keeping his Haas seat next season.
His seat is the only one on the 2023 grid which is not yet spoken for. The German may yet be handed a contract extension, but there is a chance Haas could choose to bring in fresh blood to partner Kevin Magnussen in 2023.
The man making the call is team principal Guenther Steiner, who is never afraid to speak his mind. Schumacher has been on the receiving end of his criticism in the past, and on Friday Antonio Giovinazzi was the subject of his disappointment after crashing while driving for Haas in FP1.
"Obviously on your third lap to put it in the wall is not fantastic I would say at least," said Steiner. But he was not worried about any lasting impact across the rest of the weekend, as it was fixed in time for FP2 later in the day.
All the same, Ralf Schumacher, Mick's uncle, felt it was unnecessary to make that comment about Giovinazzi's mistake. "He calls for consistency with the team, but what does he mean by that?" the former F1 racer said on Sky Sports Germany.
"Maybe he should listen back to his own interviews and maybe he will notice something himself. I think the whole team is performing well, with the exception of the team boss and the team owner. The respect between the engineers and the drivers, but also between the drivers themselves is there."
Schumacher also said he thinks Haas should avoid making any changes to their driver lineup – though, of course, he is biased on that subject. "In my view, both drivers are doing a good job and Haas would be wise to keep both drivers for 2023," he added.
"Maybe they should look at themselves with the same critical eye that they look at the drivers, make sure that the strategies are right and that the car stays intact. Because don't forget that a lot has gone wrong with that team too. If you manage to get all that in order, the interviews will also become easier. This is Formula 1, not some Netflix show."
Haas are not expected to make a decision about the seat until at least after the Mexican Grand Prix. Schumacher is in line to keep hold of his seat and has the opportunity to impress in the final few races of the season, but he is also up against Nico Hulkenberg and potentially others for the role.
