'Bring the car home' the message for Haas F1 rookies in Bahrain

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says the goal for his all-new rookie Formula 1 line-up in Bahrain this weekend is simply to finish the race.

Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin will drive for Haas in 2021 following successful campaigns in Formula 2 last year.

The pair will make their F1 debuts at the Bahrain International Circuit this weekend following just three days of pre-season testing at the very same circuit earlier this month.

Speaking ahead of the season-opening race in Bahrain, Steiner says the goal for this weekend is to make the chequered flag with Haas’ likely to be at the back of the grid in 2021.

“Absolutely, bring the cars home, trying to get as much driving as possible the whole weekend including the race, as this is what they need to do this year, just to learn the trade so to be ready for next year when we hopefully have got a better car,” Steiner said.

“My expectation is they bring them home and that is already a success for me. We have two rookies and that will be a tough thing to do anyway.”

Speaking about making his F1 debut, Schumacher admits he is “really excited”.

“It feels really good. I’m really excited. It has been a long wait since last year. We had the test session last week so it is like you get a bit of it, and now you want more. So happy that we are here, happy that we start tomorrow and will go on from there.”

Mazepin is embracing the challenge ahead of him, he added: “It is the perfect time to get going. With the test last week we were able to get enough laps in to get started in a Formula One career for the rookie season.

“It has been a very long wait in the winter, but I am very happy and excited that the challenge is very close to me, and I’m ready to tackle it.”