Guenther Steiner has praised Kevin Magnussen for being “very fair” with Haas team-mate Mick Schumacher since he returned to the team.
Magnussen was drafted back in to replace Nikita Mazepin at Haas before the start of the season, and the experienced Dane has slotted straight back into the world of Formula 1, scoring four points finishes in five races and being back on the pace from the start.
Schumacherhad the upper hand on Mazepin throughout last season, but has yet to match Magnussen over the course of a race weekend so far this year.
He earned his best grid slot in Formula 1 by starting P10 at Imola, but could not convert that into his first points finish.
With Schumacher and Mazepin having both been rookies atHaaslast season, it’s unlikely that the German will have been able to learn off his team-mate in the same way that he has been able to this year, and Steiner thinks Magnussen has been acting in the interests of the team to help Schumacher develop.
K-Mag producing the goods since his return to F1, with four points scores in five races# HaasF1pic.twitter.com/5QrlcIM6d0
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team)April 30, 2022
“Yeah, I would say so,” Steiner said when asked if Magnussen is acting as a ‘teacher’ for Schumacher, quoted byGPFans.
“As I always say, it is always good to have someone like him for Mick so he can take him as a reference.
“Even if Kevin is still young, he has done this for quite a long time now and he is very mature so he tries to help Mick out because he knows he is here to work for the team.”
The Haas team boss added that there’s another positive effect in Schumacher having an experienced head alongside him at the team, in that having someone who has been in and around the workings of Formula 1 since 2014 will serve to help him learn the ropes more quickly in his second year in the sport.
“It is a good position for Mick to be in to have somebody like Kevin who is very fair and gives him all the information,” Steiner elaborated.
“You can learn a lot yourself, but if you have got a teacher, it goes a lot quicker.”
Magnussen himself has returned to Formula 1 with a freedom about him, with the nature of his comeback being a particularly unexpected one.
He said he still harbours the same ambition of becoming World Champion, but isnot feeling the same weight of expectationon his shoulders to achieve it.