Guenther Steiner gives brutal verdict on Alpine target and warns them against signing star

Guenther Steiner has suggested that Alpine should avoid signing Mick Schumacher, insisting that, as a works team, they need the ‘best driver out there’. The former Haas team principal worked with the German racer for two seasons in 2021 and 2022 but was less than impressed with his performances.

Schumacher arrived in F1 as a Formula Two champion with the added pressure of his surname and relation to his seven-time world champion father, Michael. These factors combined with Haas’ grossly uncompetitive 2021 challenger set up a disappointing rookie campaign.

The 24-year-old failed to show notable improvements in his sophomore year and after a string of high-profile crashes, Steiner opted to drop Schumacher for the 2023 season. After spending a year as Mercedes’ test and reserve driver, he landed at Alpine as part of their World Endurance Championship squad for the 2024 campaign.

After impressing Bruno Famin with his performances, Schumacher is now a strong contender to replace the outgoing Esteban Ocon in 2025. However, Jack Doohan and Zhou Gaunyu are also compelling options for Alpine, and there is reported interest in Carlos Sainz and Yuki Tsunoda as well.

In an interview on the Red Flags podcast, Steiner was asked whether he would sign Schumacher for 2025 if he were the Alpine boss. “In the moment not, no,” he replied. “You need to get the best driver you know is out there. I think people which are showing that they’re very good. And as a works team, you need to do the best you can.”

The decision to replace Ocon in the first place has sparked debate in the F1 community. The 27-year-old has been a consistent performer during his five-year stay in Enstone, but clashes with team-mates over the years have affected his reputation as a team player, and a collision with Pierre Gasly in Monaco left team principal Famin furious.

Assessing the role this plays in a team principal’s thinking, Steiner explained: “Obviously you think about it, absolutely you think about it because it’s just something you don’t want. And I always say, team-mates don’t need to be best friends, they don’t need to go out for dinner, but they need to respect each other.

“Because in the end, but it’s generally in life, you need to respect other people. If you don’t like to drive with this guy in your team, just go somewhere else. If I don’t like to be somewhere, I move on. I’m not trying to fight it at the cost of somebody else, which is the team.”