Bahrain Grand Prix: Mazepin makes a mess of things
A very short first race for the Haas driver, who crashed out of turn 3 at the start of the race.
Difficult learning for Nikita Mazepin! The Russian driver retired on the first lap, in the gravel trap of the 3rd corner.
Starting 19th due to Vettel’s penalty, Mazepin had made a good start, catching up to his teammate Mick Schumacher in the first turn. But things went wrong afterwards: two skids on acceleration and an off-track excursion in the gravel trap of the third turn, the same spot where Romain Grosjean crashed last year.
Except that Mazepin hit the barrier on the left side, fortunately less strongly than the Frenchman!
« It’s very simple I made a mistake, because the tires were cold. In the turn
I accelerated too hard and I spun out. I’m sorry for the team,
Who deserved better than this. But there is a positive side: I have learned a lot. There are ups and downs, but today, it was a lot of downs. That’s life.
Already the victim of two spins in qualifying this Saturday, Mazepin’s problems cannot be solely attributed to his driving. The 2021 Haas is very unstable and also suffers from reliability issues. The spin at the end of Q1 was actually caused by a problem with the Haas’ braking system.
« There are ups and downs, but today, it was mostly downs. »
On his side, Mick Schumacher completed his first Grand Prix in a distant 16th place, last classified. Left behind by George Russell’s Williams, Michael’s son still gained experience, and a spin at the restart of the 5th lap.
The season will be complicated for Haas, with only one upgrade planned for Imola.
With Bastien Dauby
