F1 enthusiasts will recall that Mick Schumacher was brought to Haas through the team’s association with Ferrari.
Mick was a driver on Ferrari’s driver program and they had pushed for him to be included at Haas.
With Ferrari also ending Schumacher’s contract, Haas boss Guenther Steiner was asked if this was one of the reasons the son of Michael Schumacher was axed by the American outfit.
Steiner said that while the two teams did often consult, Haas had no obligation to follow every instruction given by Ferrari.
He also said that the days of midfield teams just acting as the bunny labs for the big outfits may be numbered.
“We always speak with them because we’ve got their juniors in FP1s and stuff like this, we try to help them,” Steiner said.
“And obviously, we work close together, we’ve got a very good relationship.
“But they are very professional about things as well, they see what is happening, we explained what we want to do, and why we want to do it.
“And it’s just like always, talking with people and explaining. Then it works, because they see that we do it for the right reasons, to have more performance.
“In this era of Formula 1 all 10 teams are good teams, nobody’s here anymore just to put a driver in for a year like we had in the old days.
“Everybody here wants to move forward. And with the budget cap, it is possible for everybody. So we need to do the best there, that is why you’re in Formula 1.”