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Ralf Calls for Severe Punishment After Mazepin’s ‘Dangerous and Unacceptable’ Move Against Schumacher
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix turned out to be another poor outing for Nikita Mazepin. The Haas driver, who has already drawn the ire of many drivers on the grid, continued to draw that attention.
After Max Verstappen complained about him on Friday, it was Mick Schumacher’s turn on Sunday. Although the two drivers are teammates, the German couldn’t contain his anger after Mazepin moved across to block him on the final straight.
Mick’s uncle, Ralf Schumacher, had a few words about the incident in his regular post-race column.
Mazepin’s actions call for punishment: Ralf Schumacher
In the last lap of the race, both Haas drivers were battling for P13. Although Mazepin overtook Schumacher right after the restart, the German found his pace and benefitted from a huge tow from Mazepin on the final straight.
Just before the finish line, the Russian moved a bit to the right, which nearly caused a massive collision. Although Schumacher got past his teammate, he was irate with Mazepin’s dangerous maneuver.
As part of Sky Sport’s F1 team, Ralf Schumacher wrote about the incident, demanding punishment for Mazepin’s actions. The German said, “In my opinion, Mazepin deserves an urgent punishment. He flinched, but you have to imagine what’s going on in the car.
“This twitching from Mazepin during the overtaking maneuver doesn’t work at all. We’re talking about speeds of over 300 kilometers per hour. Something like that is life-threatening. I don’t know whether the race management shouldn’t even have to take a closer look – even with this incident.” (Quotes translated from Google)
READ MORE: “I Was Upset”: Nikita Mazepin Offers Blatant Explanation for Dangerous Move on Mick Schumacher
Schumacher believes Nikita Mazepin “urgently needs to catch up”
The former Williams driver believes although he’s a great person outside the cockpit, he needs to improve when in it. He believes this incident adds to a pile of mistakes from the Russian, which includes impeding drivers when being lapped.
“Mazepin is a great young man outside of the cockpit. When you talk to him, he is extremely polite,” said the 45-year-old.
“But in the race, it starts with lapping, where he is often in the way, so he urgently needs to catch up.”
With Haas moving to 9th in the constructors’ championship after Baku, their focus shifts to Le Castellet in two weeks’ time. Mazepin will hope for a turnaround in the French Grand Prix, as his debut season in F1 continues to draw a variety of reactions.
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