Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has revealed that he will emphasise the importance of staying “out of the walls” to the team’s rookie drivers ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix this weekend.
The US team have endured a tough start to the season, with Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin largely in a fight between themselves at the back of the grid.
Schumacher has had more success so far this season, outqualifying and outracing his teammate in each of the opening four rounds so far, while he did finish ahead of Williams driver Nicholas Latifi at the Portuguese Grand Prix.
Both drivers have also been involved in incidents, although Mazepin’s race-ending early crash in Bahrain was the only DNF the team have had.
Looking ahead to the return of the Monaco Grand Prix after a year away, Steiner acknowledged the challenge of the famous street circuit, but explained that things would become even harder if the team lost track time due to incidents.
“Regarding the briefing – stay out of the walls and off the barriers,” Steiner said. “That’s what we’ll let them know.
“Once you’re in the barriers in Monaco, your session is lost. You cannot get the car back and it’s normally pretty damaged anyway. The challenge is big. It’s a very tight circuit, it’s obviously a street circuit, and you’ve got lots of people watching – everything you don’t want on a race like this. On the other side, you do want it though, that’s why we’re doing it.
“There should be little pressure on the drivers there as we know our performance. They should be looking at the race just to gain experience so when they return with a better car they’ll have learned how to deal with Monaco – which is obviously a very special race in the Formula 1 calendar.”
Schumacher, who has looked increasingly impressive in recent weeks, added that he was feeling increasingly comfortable in the car.
“It’s definitely a driver’s circuit – the driver can make the difference there,” he said.
“Obviously, if you have a car that you trust, one that you feel comfortable in, most likely that will help you go into Monaco, and into FP1, with somewhat more of an open mind to learn the track. If you also have to learn the car, or if you’re not comfortable in the car, that definitely makes it a lot more difficult. I’m super comfortable in the car and I’m excited to learn how to drive around Monaco in the VF-21.”
Free practice for the Monaco Grand Prix gets underway on Thursday, with qualifying in its usual slot on Saturday afternoon.
See the full weekend schedule here.