Haas’ Mick Schumacher describes his “big scare” during his first pit stop in F1 Spanish GP, as Guenther Steiner adds on the aftermath.
Schumacher bumped into the always-vulnerable front jack man of Haas during Lap 23 pit stop, knocking the crew member back several feet – the pit stop wasn’t aired on the world feed, though. Immediately after the incident, the jack man gave him a nod as if to communicate non verbally that he remained unharmed.
Also giving a thumbs up to the young German, the jack man carried out the remainder of the stop without trouble. However, Schumacher immediately made sure to check that everybody involved was in good health after his stop: “Is everybody okay after that pit stop?” he asked his team, adding: “I’m really sorry about that.”
After the race, Schumacher described his “big scare” in greater detail, and expressed frustration that he endangered team members in the way that he did: “Unfortunately we had a big scare in the pit stop, luckily everyone is okay but that’s not what we want.
“After that I was a bit frustrated that it happened, and that I kind of put the team in danger, so a huge sorry [to the team],” Schumacher said. Haas team boss Guenther Steiner appreciated the young star’s concern, but insisted all crew remained unharmed after the stop.
Steiner also says that the front jack man, an experienced “tough guy,” has seen worse in the pit lane. “I think [the stop] was a bit long and he was wondering if he hurt somebody,” he said to media including FormulaRapida.net. “The front jack [man] is tough, he’s a tough guy.
“He’s had worse pit stops than this one! Mick cares a lot about his team, so he was very concerned,” Steiner explained after Schumacher finished the Spanish GP in 18th place – one place ahead of teammate Nikita Mazepin in 19th.
For Schumacher, it was another solid running without any huge troubles. He even managed to pass Williams’ George Russell at the start. The German, though, noted that they struggled with the rear tyres, especially on the C3 compound, but managed it.
Here’s how F1 Spanish GP panned out
Here’s a GIF of the incident from F1 TV: https://twitter.com/FiftyBucksVT/status/1391456940711088130?s=20
Here’s full video: https://www.formula1.com/en/video/2021/5/2021_Spanish_Grand_Prix__Schumacher_keeps_jackman_on_his_toes.html