Former Haas boss Guenther Steiner has given the inside track on his explosive feud with Ralf Schumacher in his new book.
Steiner claims he ‘wanted Ralf Schumacher’s blood’ and would ‘kick his a** through the paddock’ during his time managing Haas.
The pair fell out over the future of Mick Schumacher, who drove for Haas between 2021 and 2022, with Ralf believing Steiner was trying to force his nephew out of the sport.
Steiner’s revelations come in what has been a turbulent year for Mick, who is now taking legal action against his ex-wife Cora after her statements about his new relationship with French business manager Etienne Bousquet-Cassagne.
‘Just like I would kick Ralf’s a** through the paddock instead of just thinking about it. In 2022, I wanted his blood,’ Steiner writes in his book ‘Unfiltered: My Incredible Decade in Formula 1’.
Around this time my famous war of words with Mick’s Uncle Ralf started. Remember? That made more headlines than some of the damn races.
‘He and I have now buried the hatchet, but I freely admit that the timing of Ralf’s outbursts couldn’t have been worse. It helped drive a wedge between us.’
Uncle Ralf has refused to work with Steiner on broadcasts and has continued his criticism of Steiner, saying last summer: ‘I don’t understand these senseless jabs and comments. I don’t know if he’s the best person to judge that. I’m slowly getting the feeling that he wants to prevent the comeback (of Mick) at Alpine.’
And now it turns out that Mick has failed to secure a drive for 2025, with Gabriel Bortoleto taking the seat at Sauber. The son of racing legend Michael has been without a seat since the end of 2022, when he called time on an acrimonious two-year spell at Haas.
