Haas to "draw our line" to end Mick Schumacher-Nikita Mazepin feud

Haas

Haas to "draw our line" to end Schumacher-Mazepin feud

Friction has been building between Schumacher and Mazepin throughout the season

Sam Hall

Thursday 9 September 2021 12:53 Updated: 13:07

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Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed the team is taking steps to "draw our line" of acceptable on-track behaviour after the latest flashpoint in the relationship between Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin.

Across the year there has been a number of incidents between the two rookie drivers, with the lastest at Zandvoort leading Schumacher to concede he fears their relationship to be beyond repair.

Mazepin cut across Schumacher, a move that resulted in the latter sustaining front-wing damage, sparked by an initial incident in qualifying when the Russian accused the German of not obeying the team plan.

“We had a meeting on Sunday and we will have another meeting today," said Steiner.

"We will work hard and we will get that problem sorted as well, as we did with a lot of other things."

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Asked if there was an understanding between the drivers of how they should behave on track, Steiner added: “I don’t want to comment on that until I have spoken with them both about it because I want their opinion on it, what they think.

“If I say now what I think, I don’t want that to happen. This is not to avoid the question.

“I am actually working on this to get an understanding of where they think the line is and then I want to draw our line. I wouldn’t say my line, but the team’s line.”

Haas position "exaggerating" the problem

Haas sits at the foot of the constructors' table without a point this season, and with his drivers often left to race no one but each other, Steiner conceded that has played its part.

“I don’t think it is personal, I think it is circumstances because as I continue to say, we are fighting with nobody else than between the two of them," said Steiner.

"Therefore, this is exaggerated this fight because there is nothing else to fight.

“If we had been in the mix with another three or four cars, you wouldn’t see this because if you do these moves to [someone who is] not your team-mate or if you race hard with [someone who is] not your team-mate, that doesn’t make a difference.

“But with your team-mate, it’s almost personal. But they have nobody else to fight so that is what they focus on and that seems to be in my opinion one of the issues there because there is nothing else around them.”