Haas impressed by rookies Schumacher and Mazepin

Haas Formula 1 team principal Guenther Steiner has said both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin did a "good job" in testing.

Despite battling against blustery conditions and a sandstorm, the two drivers looked assured behind the wheel of the VF21 as Haas banked the fourth-highest lap count of any team across the three days.

“I would say the drivers got on very well," Steiner said. "Mick had issues with the hydraulics in the [first] morning and Nikita did a good job.

"It was his first time in a Haas car – he was in obviously on the filming day but in conditions, with proper tyres, he was in there the first time [on Friday] but it was really dusty.

“We did whatever we planned with both drivers which was giving them as much seat time, driving time, as possible with both cars which I am very happy about."

Steiner has made clear Haas will not develop the VF21 across the year with the team placing its focus on 2022 and the opportunities created by the change in aerodynamic regulations.

Considering both this factor and that both drivers are new to F1, Steiner conceded testing had been more about allowing Mazepin and Schumacher to gain on-track experience than working on finer details within the set up of the car.

He added: “About performance, I cannot judge it because our programme looked completely different to everybody else’s.

“There was a lot of people out at the end trying to do a mock qualifying it looked like. We did that at a completely different time so very difficult to compare but, all in all, I am very happy with what we did today.

“The competitiveness, I do not know yet."

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