Ferrari not dictating terms to Haas regarding Mick Schumacher's future contract, says Guenther Steiner

Haas F1's Gunther Steiner claims Ferrari are not ultimately dictating terms regarding Mick Schumacher's future contract. The young German driver is currently signed to the American outfit, having made his debut for the team in 2021.

The Maranello-based team's engines have supplied Haas since the latter's debut in the sport in 2016. Haas has also signed Ferrari junior driver Mick Schumacher to their team, having given him his entry into F1. When Haas team principal Gunther Steiner was asked about the Scuderia team's control over Schumacher, however, he claimed complete autonomy, saying:

“We have to see that. I won’t talk too much about contracts, or about contracts between Ferrari and Mick, because I don’t know them in detail either. I know the big picture, but I don’t know the details and I don’t even want to know. One shouldn’t conclude that they are telling us what we have to do. We have a say in that [Schumacher’s position].”

Schumacher had a disappointing start to 2022, having failed to out-perform his older teammate Kevin Magnussen on most occasions. It would, however, seem the German driver is slowly finding pace in his Haas, having now scored points in two consecutive race weekends. It remains to be seen whether or not the driver will join his father's former team in the years to come.

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Ferrari could have had a 1-2 in Austria due to Red Bull's 'tire deg' issues, claims Christian Horner

The Italian team could have secured a 1-2 finish at the 2022 F1 Austrian GP because 'they had a very strong car', according to Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.

The Scuderia definitely had the fastest package at the Red Bull Ring, with Charles Leclerc out-performing Max Verstappen by a comfortable margin. Power Unit (PU) reliability issues that have plagued the Italian outfit in 2022, however, came to the fore once again in the final phase of the race. The team was en route to potentially scoring another 1-2 finish, with Carlos Sainz on the rear wing of Max Verstappen before his engine failed.

Red Bull's Christian Horner acknowledged Ferrari's incredible pace and superior package in Austria, saying:

“They had a very strong car – they could have well finished first and second. Up until about Lap 12, the weekend had gone pretty well in terms of the pole position and the sprint victory. But, unfortunately, that tyre deg just hit us pretty hard.”

The championship battle between the Austrian and Italian teams is heating up considerably, with either team coming out with hard-hitting blows at every other race weekend. With half the season yet to be raced, only time will tell which of the two will emerge victorious.