Guenther Steiner made it clear what he wants to see from Mick Schumacher in the wake of an extraordinary qualifying result from team-mate Kevin Magnussen.
The Dane delivered a shock pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix – the first time he and he Haas team have ever achieved that in Formula 1. In contrast, it was another qualifying session to forget for Schumacher, who will start the Sprint at the very back of the grid.
Team principal Steiner was understandably over the moon after the session, given Magnussen's achievement. Perhaps that was why he stressed that Schumacher was unlucky to be slowest on the track when in the past he has rarely shied away from criticising the German for poor performances.
Given the Sprint does, at least, provide him with an opportunity to improve his starting position for the main race on Sunday, Steiner was clear on what he wants to see from the 23-year-old. "I think he needs to try to get as [many] positions as possible to start good on Sunday," he told Sky Sports.
"There are more points at play on Sunday. When he went out [in qualifying], I think he was a little bit too hesitant to put a lap down, because we just changed to dry tyres." Meanwhile, Steiner knows Magnussen is likely to lose ground in the Sprint – but still hopes to be able to score points.
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"I think now you're getting a little bit too optimistic!" he chuckled when asked if it is possible for the Dane to finish first. With Max Verstappen sharing the front row with Magnussen and George Russell just behind, it will be tough for the Haas driver to stay in front.
Steiner added: "24 laps [to] keep everybody behind will be difficult, but I'm happy with points. We don't need to win the race. If we win, I'm more than happy, but it would be very unrealistic to think that. As long as we stay in the points, we are happy."
Speaking after securing that pole position, Magnussen declared it was an even better feeling than finishing on the podium in his first-ever F1 race back in 2014. "I didn't know what to expect back then – I came in as this arrogant little kid thinking I was the king of the world, and I had a lot of lessons after that showing how difficult it actually is in this sport. And now I'm on pole position, so I'm just going to enjoy it," explained the Dane.
And Steiner was keen to pay tribute to the hard work of his team, adding: "It's the sort of moment you're scared to dream about. We've been trying hard, the whole team trying hard for seven years and circumstances let us pull this one off."
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