Guenther Steiner warns of "incidents again" between ego-driven Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher

Schumacher, Mazepin, Haas, Baku — Photo: © LAT Images

French Grand Prix

Steiner warns of "incidents again" between ego-driven Mazepin and Schumacher

Mazepin and Schumacher almost collided on the final lap in Baku

Sam Hall

Friday 18 June 2021 20:29

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Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has warned of further incidents involving Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin as they are both driven by ego and he is unable to keep them on a tight leash.

The two drivers were involved in a near-miss on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix that led to a furious Schumacher questioning over the team radio whether Mazepin was trying to kill them both.

In the build-up to this weekend's French GP, the two gave contrasting accounts of the conversations that then took place behind closed doors at Haas.

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Although considering the matter closed, Steiner conceded he will almost certainly have to deal with further fallouts between the pair.

“When they are out there, how should I keep them on a tight leash?" asked Steiner.

"Both of them are young and have an ego and they want to be seen to be strong so only the future will tell what is happening but I will not be driving the car.

“We agreed on some things and we just keep on going and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

“Can I give you a 100 per cent assurance that it doesn’t happen again? No way. They are race car drivers. They are competitive people and there will be incidents again and we will deal with them again.

"Otherwise, it is getting boring anyway, but I hope they have learned a lesson out of this and at least we will have situations in the future but maybe not these ones.”

Could team unrest affect Schumacher Haas future?

Schumacher is a Ferrari academy driver, ensuring the Scuderia has a direct say on his future.

Asked if another similar incident between the pairing could lead to Ferrari removing Schumacher from the equation, Steiner said: “If it affects the future I don’t know, I don’t have a crystal ball and I think in racing this happens.

"I think we are blowing this out of proportion here. I don’t think it was as bad as you all think it was.

“This is normal and it happens because in the moment our guys, they fight between each other. If it would have happened not to a team-mate it would have not created this much of a story.

"But at the moment, where we are, they fight against each other because our car is just too slow to fight against other people."