No preferential treatment for Mazepin at Haas: 'I'm acting in the team's interest'

It's not easy for Guenther Steiner, after Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen the Haas team boss again has two rookies. The rivalry between rookies Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher is escalating.

Only success they can take

At Zandvoort, Schumacher and Mazepin collided again after which they also verbally attacked each other. "It's not the first time it's happened and it won't be the last," Steiner sighed to Motorsport-Total.com. "It's hard, especially since we're fighting at the back of the field this year. Your only fight is with your teammate. It's a little heated because the team duel is the only success they can grab."

Mazepin's action when he dangerously pushed Schumacher aside on the straight met with little approval. The comment that Mazepin doesn't belong in Formula 1 was again heard from various quarters. According to Steiner, the team is working on a solution. "They are both young, they want to prove that they are better than the other. And that's one of the problems you have when you bring in two rookies."

No preferred position Mazepin

Dimitri Mazepin, Nikita's father, is one of Haas' main sponsors, but Steiner stresses that Nikita in no way has a preferential position within the team. "I treat both equally and act in the best interest of the team. Because that is our biggest asset. You can have title sponsors and technical partners, but if there is no team, you can't do anything. So the team is still Haas F1."

Difficult duos at Haas

Mazepin and Schumacher is not the first duo at Haas to cause grey hairs for Steiner. In the recent past, Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen have also clashed regularly on track. Yet Steiner must admit that they were easier to handle than the current duo. "They had more experience and knew how to deal with this kind of situation. If you had to take care of something, they knew what to do." According to Steiner, that will eventually come to Mazepin and Schumacher as well.