The Bahrain Grand Prix was the first race for the Uralkali Haas F1 Team under their new name and with the first double driver change in the teams history, bringing in two rookies – Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher. Both span at various different points during the Grand Prix, but Haas will be hoping that both can learn from this and improve as drivers as a result.
Guenther Steiner, Team Principal of the Uralkali Haas F1 Team feels that it was a ‘so-so’ day for the team, Mick Schumacher doing a great job in the race and benefitting from some good strategy calls from the team.
“We had a 50 percent success rate today. Mick (Schumacher) did a very good job – I think he learned a lot today, and the team learned a lot, the strategy’s working.”
Nikita Mazepin unfortunately suffered a spin on the first lap which ended his race, Steiner stating that the Russian feels guilty about the crash but the experienced team principal just puts it down to a learning experience – even with limited running time in the Grand Prix itself Mazepin will have been able to learn a lot from the race and the whole weekend.
“Nikita (Mazepin), obviously, we all saw had a spin on the first lap which compromised his race. He doesn’t feel great about it, but we put it down as learning. He will get back at it again at the next race weekend, for sure he’s learned from this weekend.”
Steiner feels that the team and the drivers both worked really well together over the whole weekend and are starting to gel together and feel more comfortable and understand each other, of course this will take time but each day they spend working together improves these relationship which will obviously be of benefit to the team in future.
“In general terms, the team worked very well over the whole weekend together with the drivers. I think they’ve all started to gel as a team. They’ve been working together, they understand each other. These things always take time. It’s very complex – the whole sport is so complex, and it’s only time that gives you some solutions. You cannot force these things and you cannot buy them. Every day we are together working is a plus.”
