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Uralkali Haas F1 team drivers Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin qualified 18th and 20th respectively for Sunday’s Belgian Grand Prix, 12th round of the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship at the Spa-Francorchamps Circuit.
A downpour before qualifying resulted in a 12 minute delay and with a declared wet track all but two cars bolted on Pirelli Cinturato Blue rain tires to assess conditions when Q1 began. Schumacher completed a timed lap on the extreme rubber with Mazepin taking an extra lap. A trip to the garage saw the two VF-21s switch to the Green Intermediate Compound as the lap times rapidly dwindled on the track. Schumacher completed a series of successive quick laps, finishing the session 19th overall with a time of 2: 03.973. Mazepin was thwarted by traffic on his final run, leaving him 20th – his fastest lap in 2: 04.939.
Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen mastered the conditions to clinch pole position in Q3 – the sixth pole of the season for the Dutchman. Verstappen’s fastest lap in Q3 in 1: 59.765 beat George Russell of Williams by 0.321 seconds.
Nikita Mazepin: “It was a lot of fun to drive. I’m upset because today is a great example of why you need Formula 1 experience. Starting from lower formulas you have wet tires and you try to drive them with the maximum grip you have. Here you also have the inters, which are much faster, and I thought the right tire with the amount of water to stay out was wet but we had to box for the inters earlier. on those tires – it wasn’t enough to get a good lap. “
Mick Schumacher: “Difficult conditions but on the other hand a lot of fun – I enjoyed every second. I think the communication with the team was great today. We managed to make the right decisions at the right time. , and I think it helped us being where we are now. I think we can be happy with the results we got today, maybe not in terms of ranking, but definitely in terms of the procedures we had and everything in terms of communication was very good. I’m really excited about tomorrow – I have a special helmet that protects me, but it’s also a lucky charm. I’m definitely considering keeping it! “
Guenther Steiner: “A very interesting qualifying with the rain coming and going. We just tried to do our best, and I think for our two guys – their first year in these conditions racing at Spa – is no easy task. , but they both got the cars home safely and in one piece which was the most important thing to do. Now we just wait and see what he does tomorrow and try to make it happen. build on. Overall it’s not a bad day. “
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