Steiner expecting more 'incidents' between Haas rookies

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Haas team boss Guenther Steiner says he can't keep Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin "on a tight leash" and expects he'll need to deal with more incidents between the two rookies in the future.

Schumacher and Mazepin came close to a major crash on the final lap of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix when the former tried to outrun the latter to the checkered flag only for the Russian to briefly move over on his teammate and rival on the main straight.

Mazepin moved back in line as the German overtook him, but Schumacher was clearly unhappy with the dangerous swerve.

The pair subsequently cleared the air, but in France, Mazepin made clear that he had apologized only to appease his teammate, and not for the move itself, insisting his teammate "can't expect to have it too easy".

Steiner is hoping for a trouble-free relationship between his drivers in the future, but expects more run-ins between Haas' young chargers.

"When they are out there, how should I keep them on a tight leash?" Steiner said ahead of this weekend's French Grand Prix.

"Both of them are young and have an ego and they want to be seen to be strong so only the future will tell what is happening but I will not be driving the car.

"We agreed on some things and we just keep on going and hopefully it doesn’t happen again.

"Can I give you a 100 per cent assurance that it doesn’t happen again? No way. They are race car drivers. They are competitive people and there will be incidents again and we will deal with them again.

"Otherwise, it is getting boring anyway, but I hope they have learned a lesson out of this and at least we will have situations in the future but maybe not these ones."

Read also: Mazepin says Schumacher can't expect 'to have it too easy'

Steiner reckoned that the incident in Baku would have received a lot less exposure had it not involved two drivers that happened to be teammates.

"I think we are blowing this out of proportion here," he added. "I don’t think it was as bad as you all think it was.

"This is normal and it happens because in the moment our guys, they fight between each other. If it would have happened not to a team-mate it would have not created this much of a story.

"But at the moment, where we are, they fight against each other because our car is just too slow to fight against other people."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.