Haas Formula 1 boss Guenther Steiner says the team has “cleared the air” after a high-speed block on the final lap at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix from Nikita Mazepin left team-mate Mick Schumacher outraged.
Schumacher got a good run on Mazepin through the final sweeps on the last lap, helped by what Mazepin claimed was his car running out of battery to deploy, and once in the tow was able to easily catch the sister car.
But when Schumacher moved right to complete a routine drive past, Mazepin jinked right at the last moment to block him and Schumacher had to jerk right as well in avoidance.
It prompted Schumacher to remonstrate immediately, and again after they crossed the finish line and slowed down, before the usually mild-mannered German let rip over Mazepin’s behaviour on the team radio.
“What the fuck was that honestly?! Seriously?! Does he want to kill us?! Wow. Wow,” said Schumacher.
After a brief pause, Schumacher said “wow” again and started to laugh.
His engineer Gary Gannon told him: “It’s been observed. Everyone’s aware.”
Schumacher started to speak again a short while later, initially saying “I mean…OK” and then laughing again before Gannon and what sounded like chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu both interjected to cut him off.
That prompted Schumacher to swiftly apologise and say it was “all good”.
Mazepin did not acknowledge the incident over the radio, only lamenting “that one hurts” in reference to being pipped by Schumacher at the line.
He told F1: “The main thing is I’m just a little bit upset about losing my position to the team-mate on the main straight, running out of battery.
“I was a bit of a passenger. It is what it is.”
Schumacher did not address written media post-race and in a brief appearance in front of F1’s own cameras said it was an “interesting” finish.
Steiner said: “Obviously, there was a situation on the straight, that was all resolved, and we’ve cleared the air.
“There was some misunderstanding, but we’re fine and all moving on from it.”
The move was over 13th place, which marked Haas’s best result of the season.
It also moved Haas above Williams into ninth in the constructors’ championship, as neither team has scored a point so far this year but Schumacher’s 13th in Baku beats the trio of 14th place from George Russell that represent Williams’s best finishes.
