Actually, Mick Schumacher should have driven another four hours on Sunday, but Haas’ plan fails due to the veto of other teams – No understanding from Steiner
The Haas team will not be allowed to make up for its lost test hours on Thursday in an extra session on Sunday. Originally, the team would have been allowed to make up another half-day of four hours one day after the end of testing in Bahrain, but because the competition was against it, this plan will not happen.
The reason is Article 10.8 of the Sporting Regulations, which stipulates that testing lasts for three days – in Sachir from Thursday to Saturday. Sunday would be the fourth day. The racing team would only have been granted an exemption if all the other teams had been unanimously in favour.
“But then someone decided that we shouldn’t do it,” says team boss Günther Steiner, annoyed, who learned nine minutes before the first drive that they would not be allowed to test again on Sunday with Mick Schumacher at the wheel after all.
“I heard that it was McLaren,” Steiner explains the reason for the veto. According to information from ‘auto motor und sport’, Alpine and Alfa Romeo were also against the additional day.
Extending test day “not fair” for employees
However, Haas has another option: they are allowed to drive longer on each of the three regular test days in the evening and thus make up for the total of four lost hours. However, this was not done on Thursday with Pietro Fittipaldi. The Brazilian stopped on time with all the other drivers at 7 p.m. local time.
Because team boss Günther Steiner didn’t want to put any more strain on his mechanics after the past few days had been quite long. “Some guys have worked 30 hours straight to get us where we are now,” he says. “And now if I ask them again to work harder in the evening because we have to do longer, that wouldn’t be fair.”
He stresses that Haas is not to blame for the delayed test start. A cargo charter hired by FOM was stranded in Istanbul with a technical problem and could not be in London in time. It was only two days later that the cargo was transported to Bahrain, where it arrived at half past eleven on Tuesday night.
Steiner: “Wouldn’t like to have another disadvantage “
The Haas people worked almost non-stop until this afternoon to get the car ready for action. Then Pietro Fittipaldi was finally able to get out on track and complete 47 more laps.
“We were just unlucky. We had the wrong plane at the wrong time,” Steiner lamented, and therefore finds it unfair that the competition did not allow the team to make up the work on Sunday.
“We shouldn’t be penalised for something we had no part in,” he demands. “We were in a bad position and worked hard to make the best of it. And now we are to be punished again by being asked to work at night,” he lacks understanding.
“There is no advantage for us to work in the evening or just add half a day on Sunday,” he insists. “There is no advantage. We would just like not to have another disadvantage. “
