Mazepin later commented: “It was the same situation as in Zandvoort (when Schumacher was allowed to overtake him; d. Ed.), But this time the team gave me a no. I listened to it, stick to the rules. But it looks hold out like the rules are a little different on the other side of the garage. ” Although this is not the first time Mazepin has indicated that Schumacher is preferred, he asserts: “My relationship with the team is good.”
Mick Schumacher in Mexico
Mick Schumacher doesn’t understand his teammate’s excitement. “One race leads the way, the next race the other. From my point of view, there isn’t much to comment on,” says Schumi Jr. coolly.
Team boss Günther Steiner sees a little more need for a talk, but also shows understanding for Mazepin: “In the heat of the moment you say things. Nikita asked a question, he can of course do that. But it is also clear that the drivers don’t see, whatever else happens in front of them. But we do: We have the tire temperatures, the positions of the other vehicles, just the whole picture. If he overtakes Mick, he is stuck behind someone else. That’s why we stuck to the decision “, so Steiner.
In the end, Schumacher is a little more than four tenths ahead of Mazepin, is 16-2 in the qualifying duel with the Russian – and looks optimistically towards Sunday: “I’m really looking forward to being in the middle of the turmoil tomorrow, it’s always fun . Maybe we can make up a few positions at the start, “says Schumacher:” That would be valuable because it’s so difficult to overtake here. “
Mick, the Mazepin fright
Buddy Sebastian Vettel is also hoping for that. The Aston Martin star failed to make it into the final qualifying round in eleventh place, but moved up two places due to the penalties. “It’s a shame that we missed Q3. To be just two tenths behind McLaren is still a good performance for us,” says Vettel.
“My first run was really bad, I had a tear-off visor in the rear wing, maybe that messed up the car completely. But the second run was good, so we could at least beat the cars that were important to be the first who benefit from the fact that they have been punished beforehand, “explains the Heppenheimer.
While teammate Lance Stroll crashes early in qualifying and ensures a red flag, Vettel can count on good chances of scoring points in Mexico on Sunday. “If we can assert ourselves at the start, we can have a good race. The cars in front of us are a bit faster, those behind are a little slower. Our pace looked good yesterday, so we should have enough in the quiver to stay there, where we are, “says Vettel.
Status qualifying duels 2021:
Max Verstappen – Sergio Pérez 16-2
Lando Norris – Daniel Ricciardo 11: 7
Lance Stroll – Sebastian Vettel 7:11
Esteban Ocon – Fernando Alonso 9: 9
Charles Leclerc – Carlos Sainz 12: 6
Pierre Gasly – Yuki Tsunoda 18-0
Kimi Raikkonen – Antonio Giovinazzi 6:11
Mick Schumacher – Nikita Mazepin 16: 2
George Russell 18-0 Nicholas Latifi
Formula 1 on TV
