F1 | Bahrain GP | Schumacher says, "I was 90 percent happy - 10 percent not"
Mick Schumacher qualified 16th for the Uralkali Haas F1 Team in the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship, though Nikita Mazepin failed to finish the Bahrain Grand Prix.
On the Pirelli P Zero Yellow medium tires, Schumacher started from 18th place and stayed out of trouble for the first lap. Schumacher spun out on the restart through turn four's right-hander, but was able to continue after a short trip through the gravel. After 14 laps, Schumacher pitted and switched to another set of medium tires, before pitting again on lap 35 and returning to the White hard tires. Schumacher finished 16th in his first race after holding his head down for the remainder of the 56-lap race.
Meanwhile, Mazepin started in 19th place on medium tires and attempted to gain ground over the first few turns. Mazepin spun through the gravel and made contact with the barriers after picking up a snap of oversteer on cold tires through the kerbs on the right-hander of turn two. Due to damage to the VF-21, it brought his first grand prix to a halt after just a few hundred meters. Mazepin managed to free himself from the vehicle and walk away unharmed.
When interviewed post-race, Schumacher states, "In general, I’d say I was 90 percent happy and 10 percent not – because of the mistake I made, the spin, at the safety car restart. Luckily the car was still drivable, everything was alright so I could keep going and continue to build on my experience through the race weekend. Obviously, after that I went through the C3 and the C2, which felt really good. It was a bit of a shame that I wasn’t in the pack to be able to at least try to be close to the guys for a few laps. Fortunately, I did get through things like blue flags and I caught up to Nicholas (Latifi) – so I was able to feel how it was to follow a car closely and have DRS. Overall, I feel like I’ve learned a lot, and hopefully I’m able to convert that into something positive for the next race.”
A lot to learn still, but overall happy about the weekend with P16. Big thank you to @HaasF1Team for the hard work you guys put in to this, couldn’t have asked for a better group of people!! Looking forward to the next race🤙 #MSC47 pic.twitter.com/tut7J7iaTe
— Mick Schumacher (@SchumacherMick) March 28, 2021
From April 16 to 18, the Uralkali Haas F1 Team will race in the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which will be held at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari.
