Mick Schumacher will yet again start a grand prix this season ahead of team-mate Nikita Mazepin, after finishing eighteenth in the first ever Formula 1 sprint qualifying, meaning he will line up in eighteenth place for Sunday’s British Grand Prix.
Due to Sergio Pérez retiring from the sprint race late on, Schumacher will actually start the grand prix a place higher than where he started the sprint. The sprint session itself was pretty lonely for Schumacher who circulated seventeen times around the Silverstone circuit alone.
The sprint may not have been as lonely for Schumacher if it wasn’t for the two Uralkali Haas F1 Team drivers colliding on the first lap at the third corner, thankfully both cars were undamaged.
Overall it was more track-time for Schumacher as he continues to adjust to Formula 1, the German is hoping for some fine-tuning ahead of the main grand prix.
“I think we could fine-tune it here and there to try and make it logistically better for us, to be able to change set-ups etc. – but I think for a first try, it was very good. I think for smaller teams it’s a bit tougher – we have less time, and we have fewer capabilities compared to other teams who have more people. Unfortunately for us, it was quite lonely out there but still interesting. Now it’s up to us to analyse what we can do better to be closer next time.”
“I had to avoid my team-mate” – Nikita Mazepin
Nikita Mazepin unfortunately didn’t come out of the third corner clash facing the right way, the Russian driver span at turn two to avoid Schumacher as much as possible. The spin put him too far behind his team-mate to move at least a place up the field.
It won’t be a last place start however for Mazepin with Pérez retiring, Mazepin will start from nineteenth place as he continues his search to finish ahead of his team-mate. He will be hoping to avoid an opening lap spin on Sunday.
“I had a very good launch – one of my best starts this year. The nature of this track means I was on the outside of T2 and then the inside of T3. You try to carry the speed in but the car on the left has a better stopping power and you both try to make the corner but then I had to avoid my teammate. With the pace of the car we have this weekend, the best comparison I have is my teammate and I was a lot faster than him for the first part of the race and then a lot slower for the second part of the race.”
Credit: Mark Sutton / Sutton Images)