Argument between Haas drivers: an angry Schumacher took on Mazepin! What was it all about?

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin were no match for each other in Sunday’s Dutch Grand Prix. Both on the track, in the media and with each other in person. Schumacher said Mazepin was too aggressive, but he denies any wrongdoing.

Is Mick Schumacher a confident driver? Yes, and he has proved it several times, especially on the race track. Is Nikita Mazepin too aggressive a driver? Well, that’s also widely known, and his many driving mistakes prove it.

And that there has been a certain, but not huge, tension between the two Haas drivers for some time is also known.

The nervousness that exists between them somehow bubbled to the surface this Sunday. Yet the atmosphere started to thicken on Saturday. And you guessed right, this is the incident that caused Sebastian Vettel to lose his fast lap. It was blocked by both Haas drivers.

Mazepin was overtaking Schumacher at the time. The former said afterwards that he had already been reprimanded by the team for overtaking the young Schumacher when he had the right of way. It should be noted that Mazepin was in a slow outlap, whereas the German driver needed to warm up his tyres with a quick exit lap.

The team confirmed via radio communication that he could overtake his teammate, even though Mazepin was ahead of his last qualifying attempt. In the end, it was a prime example of a major misunderstanding, but it didn’t improve the mood of both drivers in any case.

Mazepin’s initial information from the team was that his teammate was not allowed to overtake him. During that exit lap, this decision changed, but Mazepin did not know this, so he tried to overtake Schumacher. This resulted in Vettel being blocked, for which the Haas driver should have received a penalty.

The second critical moment came on Sunday, immediately after the start of the Dutch Grand Prix.

In the video, Schumacher can be seen coming significantly closer to Mazepin at the end of the first lap in the start/finish area and was about to pass him on the right-hand side. However, he suddenly changed direction. The son of the famous legend was then angry precisely because if he did not slow down, there would be a mutual, team collision.

“It looks like he just has it set in his head that he has to stay in front of me at all costs. And I have nothing against that, that’s fine. But I think that if we get to the stage where we defend ourselves very aggressively against a teammate when we don’t even have anything to gain, that is not the right approach.”

That was Schumacher’s assessment of the whole thing in a post-race interview.

“And it doesn’t justify the fact that they’re going to push me into the wall and basically force me into pit lane. Yes, again, I think it’s not the right way to go and we’ll probably have to talk to the team about it again,” he added.

Mazepin, however, admits no wrongdoing. “I am also angry. My job is to race. But I feel that I have not been racing enough in the last few weekends. Fortunately, I don’t feel guilty about it, which is one thing you should keep in mind. I had a very good opening lap and I had a good race.”

The team boss let it be known that the situation between the two riders will have to be permanently resolved as it is impossible to work like this.

However, Mazepin’s run in the Dutch Grand Prix ended prematurely. He pitted his car on lap 44 due to hydraulic problems, with Schumacher finishing seventeenth.

Whose side you’re on, or who you think is talking more sense, we’ll leave to you. This Sunday, however, the Italian Grand Prix is upon us and it’s hard to say whether the relationship between the two drivers will calm down or become more heated.

Source: F1, F1 Live