After the second sprint race of the calendar. MotorLat had access to an online meeting with team Haas in which both drivers and team principal shared their views on today´s event and what they expect for tomorrow´s race in the legendary Monza.

Mick Schumacher who finished today´s Sprint race in p19 believes that today´s sprint race was a good learning experience, “I think we obviously learned a lot…I think we should take today as an indication for what we need to do better for tomorrow. I think that it was very positive. I learned a lot in how to attack, the first corner, the first chicane…I think that overall we can be satisfied. On the other hand, we still need to work some more for tomorrow.”

When asked by MotorLat on his feelings on the second sprint race at his first weekend in Monza as a F1 driver, Schumacher explained, “It feels great. I now, even more, made contact with the fact that those cars are extremely hard to follow, especially in a race track as in Monza where downforce is anyways quite low, when you are within a second of the other car makes things complicated and tough so I definitely learned on that side and now I think it´s more for me to see what I can do better for tomorrow.”

On the fight with Robert Kubica and the spin in front of him after some contact between the Pole and Yuki Tsunoda. Schumacher said “It was very tight, especially that moment. I had to cut the first chicane. We were struggling a little bit with the tyres which left me more vulnerable…but I think today we were maybe a bit faster. I´m expecting to have more pace tomorrow.”

Schumacher, who´s in his first year in F1 says he prefers the normal schedule of F1 at this moment. “For me, personally, it´s my first year in F1 so I really like having three practice sessions, Qualifying and then the race. What we´re doing now is something I´m used to from F2. I think it´s interesting because we have some more racing both have its positives and negatives.”

Nikita Mazepin, 17^th today, who seems to be getting a better feeling on his car after the chassis change after the summer break, said about his sprint race “it was good, had a clean start, tried to do my best on the first two corners but unfortunately was in the wrong lane and stopped with the traffic jam unsurprisingly on the inside of turn two where I lost back the positions I won but apart from that after the safety car had a clean re start overtook one of the cars, went ahead and then I was trying to protect from Tsunoda and Russell but managed to keep the Alpha behind which is our positive”

Nikita seems to be happy with the improvements made in terms of one lap pace “I think our one-lap-pace has massively improved ever since I drove for FP1 in Belgium…good to know that I can trust my feelings…the good things is the pace is here now we have a long season ahead of us still. So I´m sure that it´s only going to get better because the confidence that I have lost in the beginning of the year when the car wasn´t doing what it was supposed to do now is coming to the truth.”

On the lessons learned today, Mazepin explained “not much. I mean, Monza always has the same characteristics whichever car you sent... Turn one will always be the same, just try to keep your nose clean. Monza provides you opportunities to place you where you deserve to be based on your pace. Don´t rush.”

Nikita is positive about the sprint format “you see more action. You see three sessions on three different days which are worth watching.”

When asked about MotorLat on racing in Monza as a F1 driver and his expectations for tomorrow, the driver explained “being a F1 driver these days you get to go to so many tracks and you do so many laps during the race weekend compared to what I normally did in F2 and F3 that even if we are rookies we arrived quite well prepared to the new tracks and I just being a human being going 345 kph on the straight is a cool feeling and you don´t get to many opportunities to experience that outside F1.”

Guenther Steiner, who had to weather the storm after his driver’s tough battles is happy that both his drivers seemed to be at better terms after what happened in Zandvoort “there´s nothing to gain, just to lose for both of them. Hopefully, it doesn´t happen again. “

On the positions after the sprint race and the possibility to fight one of the Alpha cars Steiner said “For us it was quite good to have someone to battle with. It´s good for the drivers to have some opponents. One of our cars start in front of Robert and hopefully we can keep it in front like Nikita did today and Mick was very close. I think it´s the best for the guys at least have something to fight for hopefully and we will try but strategy wise I don´t think a lot will change.”   

On the second sprint race Steiner said “I quite like the more exciting Friday… What will decide if it´s good or not is how the fans respond to it. If they like it, we should do it if they don´t like it we shouldn´t be doing it.”

When asked by MotorLat what he expects from his drivers for tomorrow´s race “I hope that they race like today, that there´s no friction between them and I hope we can fight with Robert because that would be good so they could race somebody else not only between them. That´s what I expect of tomorrow.” “I don´t expect points,“ he joked.