“Thanks for reminding me what is coming!” – Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner is in no mood to see his drivers Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher crashing in this weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix.
Haas has had a decent 2021 season, with just one DNF for Nikita Mazepin at Bahrain to report so far. Considering the resources at the disposal of the American team, Mazepin and Mick Schumacher have done well in their fight to avoid bottom against the Williams F1 team this season.
The iconic street race at Monaco is up next, and the outspoken boss Guenther Steiner has issued a simple instruction – avoid the walls. The idea is to gain as much track time as possible in their preparation for the 2022 season.
“In Monaco, you need a lot of downforce, and guess what we haven’t got? A lot of downforce! So it will be even tougher.
“Regarding the briefing – stay out of the walls and off the barriers. That’s what we’ll let them know. Once you’re in the barriers in Monaco, your session is lost. You cannot get the car back and it’s normally pretty damaged anyway.
The challenge is big. It’s a very tight circuit, it’s obviously a street circuit, and you’ve got lots of people watching – everything you don’t want on a race like this. On the other side, you do want it though, that’s why we’re doing it.
“There should be little pressure on the drivers there as we know our performance. They should be looking at the race just to gain experience so when they return with a better car they’ll have learned how to deal with Monaco – which is obviously a very special race in the Formula 1 calendar.”
Read more “It’s a good learning experience” – Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin getting to grips with Formula 1
