Mazepin’s F1 spins a result of ‘trying too hard’ - Steiner

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner admits Nikita Mazepin is ‘trying too hard’ to impress which is resulting in several mistakes on track.

After a torrid first weekend in Bahrain, Mazepin spun twice during Friday practice at Imola.

Mazepin lost control of his Haas at the final corner in the opening minutes of FP1, then he caused the second red flag of the session, clattering the barriers at Rivazza 2 following a spin.

FP2 went more smoothly for Mazepin as he ended the session 20th overall, 0.5s down on Haas teammate Mick Schumacher.

“I mean at some stage they need to be reduced but he’s trying very hard – and I guess he’s trying sometimes a little bit too hard – but he needs to find that limit,” Steiner said.

“That’s for him to find, and as for him to find we can help him doing that. It’s one of those things I’ve said before: Learning is painful, it comes with pain and at some stage that will hopefully stop, and he’ll be in a good place.”

Mazepin endured a difficult first weekend in F1, spinning on five separate occasions throughout the Bahrain GP weekend.

Steiner revealed what he said to Mazepin after the Russian crashed out on the opening lap in Bahrain.

“What I said to him, I said: ‘You need to keep your head high, you know? These things happen’,” Steiner added.

“Obviously he was a beat-up boy, everybody beats up on him but that makes it tough on him. In the end you come out on a better side; you just need to keep your head up, focus on the next race and keep on going, and that’s what he did.

“He was here today, yesterday he was in a good place and today he’s in a good place at the debrief even if he spun out, you know? Because he sees he’s improving and he’s learning. That’s the only thing you can do in this situation – just keep on going – knowing that things went wrong but he can do better.”