Mazepin not favoured at Haas: "That's what I stand for"

With the cash injection thanks to the new owners at Williams, Haas is expected to have a very difficult season with a relatively underdeveloped car. On top of that, they will have to face this challenge with two completely new drivers. Team boss Guenther Steiner was positively surprised though.

He said that immediately after the winter test. Both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin left a very good first impression according to the Italian. In an interview with RTL Germany He says he doesn't regret the decision to work with these young drivers.

He also enjoys the small details he sees in the young drivers. For example, he noticed something special with Schumacher. "I saw that he has a small book in which he writes things down. I didn't want to go to him to sneak a peek at it, but I hope and have faith that there are technical things in there."

With Haas' new main sponsor also being the father of one of the drivers, there was concern among some fans that Mazepin will receive preferential treatment, but Steiner is pressing them to make sure this is not the case.

"Uralkali is the main sponsor, but with no rights to an advantage. It doesn't exist. It's not sporting and we don't participate in it, I stand by that," Steiner said. Dmitri Mazepin himself is reported to have said that he does not want his son to be favoured.