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RaceFans Roundup: Qatar was a ‘no-go weekend’ for Mazepin after a series of problems


Nikita Mazepin, Haas, Losail International Circuit, 2021

In summary: Haas team boss Günther Steiner says to Nikita Mazepin during his badly disturbed Qatar Grand Prix weekend “everything happened that you don’t want”.

in the letter

Mazepin out of luck in Qatar – Steiner

Mazepin, who was one of only two drivers to witness the Losail International Circuit before F1 drove there last weekend, ran into trouble early on the weekend when he sustained damage in the first practice session and had to miss the second. Steiner explained how this led to a number of other calamities.

“He then damaged the chassis, they changed the chassis and finished it [Saturday] Tomorrow, ”said the Haas team boss. “Everything was fine and then they put the car on its wheels and the engine only ignited with four cylinders when it went out.

“So they pushed it back and tried to find the cause and see if we could fix it quickly. And they couldn’t find it so it was decided to take the engine out and change the chassis wiring harness, change all the ECUs, all sorts of things, and then do a reset. The guys did a fantastic job, if you think they took the engine out and put it back in. “

At this point, Mazepin had completely missed the second and third practice session, leaving him behind before qualifying. “On his track, the self-confidence has to be high because there are a lot of fast corners, medium and fast,” said Steiner. “If you don’t run and Nikita ran for the last time [Friday] Tomorrow, so he did his best not to cause further damage. “

Unfortunately, he ran into trouble again at the beginning of qualifying. “He just drove around, then on his first lap the front wing broke with his first set of tires. Then he was called to the weighbridge.

“It was a no-go weekend for him, I would say everything happened that you don’t want,” said Steiner. Mazepin qualified last, almost two and a half seconds behind teammate Mick Schumacher, and was also the bottom of the field on race day.

Quotes: Dieter Rencken

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