"I don’t get it" - Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner doesn't know why the team were competitive towards the end of the 2021 season

Haas F1 team principal Guenther Steiner has expressed his surprise at the improvement in the team's performance towards the latter part of the 2021 season. The Italian-American made it clear in the early stages of the season that the team was fully devoting all efforts towards the 2022 season with the upcoming regulation change in mind.

When asked about the team's gain in speed, Steiner still felt the other teams should have created a bigger gap to Haas by developing in 2021. He said:

“The last two races were very odd to me. In Saudi Arabia, where the lap is very long, we were only one and a half tenths behind. And we fought in the race with one of the Williams. Maybe they were going slower?”

The team made it clear with their budget allocations in the early stages of the 2021 season that this year was a transition period for itself. It opted against developing its car to focus on preparing for new technical regulations arriving in 2022. The American team believes it could have a better car with the teams getting a more equal playing field next season.

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Nikita Mazepin 'confident' of midfield battle in 2022 in the Haas

Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin says he feels "100% ready" to be battling in Formula 1’s midfield this year provided Haas can give him a car that is a good step forward.

Speaking to Motorsport, the Russian driver said:

“I had a few good battles this year with some faster cars and I felt comfortable. For me, mainly fighting with people, I need to know exactly where my rear wing ends and where the front wing ends, so I know exactly how to position my car next to them.”

Mazepin also revealed his biggest lesson of 2021 was the realization of needing to break things down into smaller pieces to make progress. He hopes 2022 will be a much more consistent year for both him and the team.

“I think overall it [the season] was positive. We made huge steps forward in my confidence and in my understanding from the point where we started.”

The 2021 season was not a good start for the Russian, with him finishing P21 and his teammate Mick Schumacher at P19 in the driver's championship. The team also failed to score any points, leaving it last in the constructors’ championship.