In Formula 1, teammates fighting for positions, especially on the track, are not uncommon. While it was very respectful between Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin up to this point, things got a little out of control during the first free practice session of the Portuguese GP 2021.
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When Mazepin started his flying lap on the start-finish straight, a faster Mick Schumacher with DRS came from behind and overtook him. This damaged Mazepin’s lap and he was not a happy man. On the radio, he let his racing engineer know his anger with a couple of explosives.
“What the hell is he doing?” said a smoking Mazepin on the radio.
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“It’s fine, it’s fine. He pressed it twice, ”his race engineer tried to calm him down by offering him an explanation. Mazepin replied: “Yes, but you could have warned me about it.”
To be fair, Mazepin’s race engineer informed him that his teammate was 2.5 seconds behind and was “pushing”. But he wasn’t aware that he was going to put twice as much pressure on as Mazepin for his qualifying simulation round. In some ways, Mazepin also got a taste of his own medicine when he passed Alfa Romeo’s Antonio Giovinazzi in a similar way in first qualifying at Imola.
Trouble in paradise for Mick Schumacher & Nikita Mazepin?
This comes after Mazepin expresses his displeasure with the resources Mick has available for him. The German is associated with Ferrari as an academy driver.
SCARPERIA, ITALY: Mick Schumacher from Germany prepares to drive his father Michael Schumacher’s Ferrari F2004. (Photo by Mark Thompson / Getty Images)
From time to time he gets the opportunity to drive his two year old Ferrari F1 car on the Fiorano test track. Not to forget that Mick can also use the services of his high-tech stimulator. That annoys Mazepin, but Haas team boss Günther Steiner believes that a bad start to the season has gotten into the Russian’s head.
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“If you put yourself in your position, everything goes into your psyche, he (Mick Schumacher, editor’s note) drives more, that certainly doesn’t help,” Steiner told RTL. (Quotes from German translated with Google)
ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES – DECEMBER 15: Mick Schumacher from Germany drives the Haas F1 Team VF-20 Ferrari during the F1 Young Drivers test at Yas Marina Circuit on December 15, 2020 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli – Formula 1 / Formula 1 via Getty Images)
It is certainly not the best time of their relationship as F1 teammates. Hopefully it’s only beginner pressure to reach Mazepin, and no malicious intent behind it.
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https://formulaone.news/ferrari/how-sainz-defeated-f1s-new-driving-curse
