Haas F1 Boss Steiner Defends Nikita Mazepin’s Crude F1 Team Radios

Team radios during a Formula One weekend show the true emotions of a driver. At times the interaction between the drivers and their engineers can get heated and might have a negative impact on how fans perceive a driver. Such is the case of Haas’s rookie driver Nikita Mazepin, who has shown his anger and frustration on the team radio. However, team principal Guenther Steiner has defended him by stating that’s just his character.

In Bahrain, Mazepin joked about almost crashing into Lewis Hamilton. The next one occurred at Imola, when he complained about his German teammate, Mick Schumacher.

Steiner comes to defend Nikita Mazepin’s antics on the radio

Speaking to auto motor und sport, the Hass boss said, “Yes, sometimes it seems a little unfriendly. But he’s just very direct. That’s his character. He doesn’t mean it that way.

“He has a very good relationship with his race engineer. I don’t see a problem there,” Steiner concluded. (Translated from German via Google)

Steiner feels that Mazepin just needs to be more patient

The 22-year-old hasn’t gotten the start he wanted to win his debut year in Formula One. The Russian had to retire after crashing in the opening laps of the race. While at Imola, Mazepin struggled and finished 17th in the race. Steiner has urged Mazepin to stay patient if he wants to see results.

Continuing his interview with auto motor und sport, he said, “I always tell our young drivers, you will only understand in the tenth race how little you knew in the first race. At the moment they think they already understand everything. Only over time do they notice how much they are learning.”

We have to be patient. Of course, Nikita wants to show what he can do and is a bit impatient herself. And then something happens,” he concluded. (Translated from German via Google)

The Haas rookie driver will be hoping to learn from his mistakes and will aim to bounce back in the next round of the championship. Mazepin will wish to achieve a better result in Portugal in the upcoming race weekend.

Read More: Mazepin Wary of Mick Schumacher Gaining an Advantage Through Ferrari Backing