Schumacher: 'Battle with Hamilton shouldn't have happened'

Mick Schumacher has questioned his team's decisions, Haas, in the sprint race for the Austrian Grand Prix. The German was defeated by Lewis Hamilton, but the young driver felt there was no need for the fight.

Hamilton got stuck behind Schumacher and Kevin Magnussen during the sprint race. According to the Briton, the Haas car was a bit faster on the straights, making it difficult for him to overtake the drivers.

In the closing stages of the race, Hamilton fought Schumacher for the final point. The Haas driver initially managed to hold off the Mercedes with the help of the DRS he received from his teammate. When Magnussen was more than a second ahead, Schumacher asked if he could slow down. That order was not followed.

'Battle with Hamilton shouldn't have happened'

Hamilton eventually managed to get past Schumacher, but the German tells Sky Sports that Magnussen should have let him pass. Schumacher believes he had better pace. "I think it’s something to be discussed, but obviously I think the battle with Lewis was fun but in the first place it shouldn’t have happened."

"In some ways I was quite a bit quicker", the Haas driver says. Schumacher confirms that he thinks he should have been swapped with Magnussen. That conversation took place over the board radio, but the team did not agree to it.