Haas: There won't be Driver No. 1 in the 2022 season

Haas manager Gunther Steiner made it clear that his team would not consider giving any driver the status of Driver No. 1.

Haas made a huge gamble for the 2021 season, bypassing the entire development of the VF-21, while also abandoning the experienced Kevin Magnussen and Romain Grosjean to support a pair of rookie drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin to form the team's lineup for the 2021 season. As expected, Haas struggled throughout the season, with Schumacher having the upper hand when chance came and Ma Zeppin had few bright spots.

In the 2022 season, Haas wants to ensure that Schumacher and Mazepin are on an equal footing.

Steiner told the media when unveiling the livery of Haas's new car for the 2022 season: "Both drivers in our team are treated the same, both sides have the same contract, they have to gain an advantage on the track themselves. There will be no Drivers No. 1 and No. 2. ”

Although Schumacher and Mazepin were incapable of competing for points last season, that didn't stop tensions from escalating during their multiple encounters on the track, with the two colliding at the Italian Grand Prix, and Schumacher less happy with the defensive performance of his teammates at the Azerbaijan and Dutch Grands Prix.

Steiner hopes these events don't happen suddenly in 2022, because if Haas is really fighting for points, these issues are likely to cost them.

He said: "I hope it doesn't happen again, when you're fighting for points, you have to be careful not to lose points again in the competition with your teammates, because then the team will also lose points. ”