From Romain Grosjean to Mick Schumacher: Guenther Steiner's best and worst Haas F1 hires ranked
7) Nikita Mazepin (2021)
Desperate for a new title sponsor, Haas opted to sign Russian driver 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Nikita Mazepin for 2021 alongside 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Mick Schumacher.
While the car proved to be uncompetitive - arguably the weakes♉t Haas have produced in their F1 history as they focused on the new 2022 rules - it 😼was clearly their worst driver pairing as well.
Mazepin looked ou🎶t of his depth in F1 from the very first race, embarrassingly spinning several times on his debut at the Ba🥀hrain Grand Prix.
The trend continued throughout 2021, with his season littered with err🔴ors, combined with a complete lack of pace.
He was still due to drive for the team in 2022, but after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and the subsequent consequences for his primary backer and Haas title sponsor - Uralkali - he was dropped ahead of the new season for 168澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果历史:Kevin Magnussen.
6) Pietro Fittipaldi (2020)
Pietro Fittipaldi got his F1 chance after Romain Grosjean’s fireball cra🌳sh at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Thrown in at the deep end, Fittipaldi performed respectively 𒉰in his two-race stint with the team.
The Brazilian fin🗹ished both races he competed in, and showed a decent turn of pace relative tꦇo Magnussen, qualifying just 0.3s off in Abu Dhabi.
While the sample size was relatively smalꦰl, Fittipaldi didn’t embarrass himself during his brief time as a Haas driver.
5) Esteban Gutierrez (2016)
Following two underwhelming years with Sauber, Esteban Gutierrez was put alongside Grosjean to comple༺te Haas’ first-ever driver pairing for 20꧑16.
Gutierrez was backed by Mexican company Tel🌟mex (which is owned by billionaire Carlos Slim) so it was unsurprising to see him get another chance in F1.
However, Gutierrez failed to capita﷽lise on his third opportunity in F1, once failing to register a s🦩ingle top 10 finish with the team.
Conversely, teammate Grosjean maximised Haa𝔉s’ early season performance, scoring 28 of the team’s 29 points in the first nine races.
He was replaced at the end of 2016 as Haas opted fo♈r Magnussen✤.
4) Mick Schumacher (2021-2022)
Following his F2 title triumph in 2020🔯, Schumacher was handed his F1 opportunity with Haas for the following season.
Alongside Mazepin, the German had an unknown benchmark meaning it was difficult to gauge ho💖w good Schumacher was.
Fastꦐ forward to 2022, Schumacher was given a stern test in the form of Magnussen, who made his return ahead of the new season.
Unexpectedly, Magnussen had the edge over his less experienced teammate, but Sch🍸umacher’s high-profile, costly crashes meant tension grew.
Not ꦏonly did Schumacher fail to capitalise on Haas’ impressive early season fo🍎rm, he cost the team millions in crash damage.
Schumacher’s form did pick up by the🅠 middle of the season - even beating Magnussen in the race head-to-head - but it proved to be too little, too late as Steiner opted for e💃xperience in the form of Nico Hulkenberg.
3) Romain Grosjean (2016-2020)
Grosjean was an in🍨tegral part of Haas' early success, racing for the team from 2016 until 2020.
His peaks - like throughout his career - w♈ere mighty, but his lows often resulted in major incidents, leading to a very frustrated Steiner on the pit wall.
Grosjean nearly lost his seat in 2018 but turned it around with a strong second half of the season, but two pooඣr years individually and for the team meant they were forced into a change for 2021.
The Frenchman was an 'on his day' kind of driver - incredibly quick, but those days weren't often ಌenough.
2) Kevin Magnussen (2017-2020, 2022-)
Magnussen is Haas' longest-serving driver with the Dane about to embark on his seventh season with the team in🌞 2024.
He opted to join Haas for 2017 after just one year 𒀰with Renault, citing the need for security and a longer term deal.
2017 wa🔯s Magnusse﷽n's weakest with the team as Grosjean had the upper hand, but this would not last as he grew into the ascendency.
Magnussen proved to ꦦbe the more consistent of the two, but it wasn't enough to stay with the team beyond 2020 as Haas needed a cash injection following their pl🐎ummet down the constructors' championship.
It proved to be a bless🌠ing in disguise as Magnussen was disillusionedꦜ with F1 given Haas' uncompetitiveness.
He grasped his return to✤ F1 with two hands after Haas cut ties with Mazepin, securing the team's maiden pole at the 2022 São Paulo Grand Prix.
1) Nico Hulkenberg (2023-)
There is no doubt in terms of outrigh𝓰t ability, Hulkenberg is the best driver Haas have seen drive their F1 cars.
Even t𓆉hough he has had just one-year with the team, Hulkenberg has shown outstanding flashes of pace and performance - something the team has lacked over the years.
Remarkably in F1 2023, Hulke💙nberg made🗹 Q3 on eight occasions for the team that finished bottom of the constructors’ championship.
His lack of points finishes were thro✃ugh no fault of his 🉐own as Haas’ race pace was shambolic, struggling with tyre wear.
If Haas can give him the car, there are no 🌠doubts Hulkenberg will go withꦕ it.
With ඣa sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
