"There will be no leader" - Haas sees its drivers as equal

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has clarified that the team doesn’t have a "team leader" and that both its drivers will have equal status.

Steiner says the team will prioritize either driver based on their performances during specific Grands Prix. Speaking to the media after the first Barcelona test, the Italian said:

"Both drivers are equal in our team. They have equal status contracts so there will be no leader. It's about who is doing a better job in practice and qualifying.

"Then when you do that, in the race, when you start in front you are automatically in a better position. But the starting points every weekend is the same - there will be no number one or number two driver."

Haas broke with tradition in 2021 to field two rookie drivers, after preferring to stick with experienced drivers for much of their short existence in F1. While both Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin graduated from F2 together, the latter has a more intimate connection with the team, as his father Dmitry Mazepin partly owns the American outfit.

Meanwhile, Schumacher is part of the Ferrari driver's academy, and has been placed at Haas by the Scuderia to groom him for an eventual promotion to its own F1 team.

Due to Mazepin’s significant financial contributions to the team, it was speculated that he would be the designated ’team leader' and would have preference over Schumacher in the team. But Steiner has rubbished such speculation, instead claiming that the team has equal expectations from both drivers, and neither would be preferred over the other.

"The expectation is just to be able to fight for points, to fight with the other drivers in Formula 1. They have had one year; we always were very open that the expectations last year were not high, but it gave them the opportunity to learn and establish them in Formula 1.”

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The fruits of Haas’s 2022 gamble are yet to be apparent

Haas endured substantial financial difficulties due to the Covid-19 pandemic, and were on the verge of either closing down or selling off their assets. Only an eventual investment by Russian mogul Dmitry Mazepin helped salvage the team.

But the team’s financial health was still mediocre, and they therefore made the difficult decision not to develop their 2021 car, and instead focused entirely on the 2022 regulations hoping to return to the midfield.

After a miserable 2021 season, when they failed to score a single point for the first time in their history, the team were excited for the new season and were the first to unveil their 2022 challenger.

But when the car hit the track for the first time in Barcelona, the team hit a snag, and couldn’t complete their scheduled programs. On day two, the team once again hit trouble, with Nikita Mazepin having to stop on track after just nine laps.