Mazepin speaks up for Schumacher: 'That won't make you drive any better'

Guenther Steiner is known for not mincing his words, but some say he has been too critical of Mick Schumacher's performance lately. The German even gets support from an unexpected quarter: Nikita Mazepin believes that, as team boss, one should protect one's own people.

Mazepin, who is currently in the middle of a dispute with his former employer, has recently been critical of his former teammate. However, he believes that a team boss should not express himself in such a way about his own driver. "I think you should always protect and support your own people, in any way possible," the Russian said in conversation with Sport-Express.ru.

"I don't know people who read negative news about themselves and then start driving better," the former Haas driver continued. "If such public criticism helps someone, great. But I think it's more useful to sit down with someone in person and express everything one-on-one," Mazepin said.