Mick disagrees with Mazepin over experienced reserve

Mark Scott 05 Oct 2021 4:50 PM

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. Monza September 2021

Haas drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin side by side at the Italian Grand Prix. Monza September 2021

Not for the first time this season, rookie drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin are seeing things differently at Haas.

But, rather than this concerning any on-track matters between the pair on this occasion, the latest difference of opinion is over the potential need for an experienced reserve driver to join the team.

Haas boss Guenther Steiner has said he is open to the idea of adding an experienced third driver to the team and help Schumacher and Mazepin on their respective paths in Formula 1, which are sure to get even trickier with brand new regulations on the way in 2022.

That idea was welcomed by Mazepin, but Schumacher feels it would not be a necessary move.

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“Honestly, I think that we’re pretty much getting the best out of the car,” Schumacher said, as quoted by Motorsport.com.

“I don’t think that there is a need for that. Especially if you know reserve drivers don’t really get to drive much.

“Obviously we don’t know how that would be, but again I think we’re doing the best we can, and I think some qualifyings show that we are able to extract the maximum out of the car.”

Steiner has said a decision on a experienced reserve driver will not be made until the end of the current season.

“If we feel at the end of the season that we need somebody, we will look into how it goes,” Steiner said.

“We haven’t looked for a reference driver yet and we are not looking. That decision will be taken at the end of the year, if we feel that that would help us to get better.

“But obviously the issue then is, if you put a reference driver or an experienced driver in, the young guys lose track time because they cannot drive the car, as you are not free to do what you want these days with testing.

“So there’s all pros and cons which you have to weigh up, and that’s where I left it out there. There is the possibility, but there is not a decision taken.”