Mazepin apologizes to Schumacher after their clash in Monza
Another collision between Mazepin and Schumacher. At the Italian Grand Prix, the Russian hit his teammate from behind. In front of the media, Mazepin admitted his mistake and even apologized. The relationship between the two drivers is improving.
It has become a habit. Every race, the two Haas team drivers face off. And in the end, it always ends badly, or almost always. At Monza, while the show was unfolding in front of them, Mazepin and Schumacher clashed once again. The Russian did not finish the race, while Schumacher finished in fifteenth place.
After the safety car following the accident between Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen, the two teammates from the American team met. Mazepin was then behind his teammate Schumacher. In trying to overtake him, the Russian eventually collided with his teammate. The stewards imposed a five-second penalty on Mazepin for his dangerous move. At the end of the race, the driver admitted that this collision was entirely his fault. He braked very early in turn 4 and I just put my nose in there. Obviously, he needed to take the turn and turn, so I’m sorry it happened. It was my fault, but it was like a racing incident. Sometimes you put your nose in there and the driver in front has to turn, but you only have half a car there. It’s completely my mistake, he explained to the media. The relationship between the two teammates seems to be improving. The two meetings since Zandvoort are bearing fruit.
On his side, Schumacher doesn’t hold it against Mazepin. Crash or not, he thinks it wouldn’t have changed anything in the standings. “I didn’t see it, but once again, for me, I felt that this race was good. I don’t think it would have really changed anything about our position at the end of the race,” said Michael Schumacher’s son.
The team boss, Günther Steiner, says he is satisfied that the relationship has improved between his two drivers. However, there is still some way to go to achieve better cooperation. “I think our two guys have learned from the last races. They should try to move forward and accept the suggestions we make to them as a team. […] This is part of the learning process and fortunately, the car was not too damaged,” Steiner said happily.
A breakdown for Mazepin.
The Russian driver was forced to retire quickly. Some time after his clash with his teammate, his engine had a problem. In front of the media, Mazepin said that his engine broke down. He lost all power and couldn’t continue. “We had an engine failure. I lost all power and it was dangerous to continue. The team told me to stop the car immediately.” Haas is the only team that has not yet scored points in the standings. The American team is banking everything on 2022 and the new regulations. Hopefully, the improvements will be significant for the team.
