Schumacher leads but Haas say they have no No 1

Mick Schumacher is clearly getting more out of the car than struggling Russian Nikita Mazepin but Haas will stay even-handed with their Formula One rookies, team principal Guenther Steiner said on Friday.

Mazepin has acquired a reputation for spinning while Schumacher, son of Ferrari great and seven times world champion Michael, has made solid progress with the last-placed US-owned team.

"We look at Mick to see why he’s getting more out and try to get Nikita up to the same speed," Steiner said when asked at the Spanish Grand Prix whether Schumacher was taking on the role of leader.

"So the focus is actually more on Nikita, to get him up to speed, than on Mick," he told reporters.

"We just need to understand why he (Schumacher) gets more out of the car, see how the car is set up. It’s too early to put up a leadership because the next thing is someone will say Mick is the No 1 and it’s not like that.

"It’s an equal status. Both have got the same car and that is what we will keep."

Mazepin, whose billionaire father has provided the team's title sponsorship, finished fifth last year in a Formula Two championship won by Schumacher, although the Russian did win two races.

He spun out of his debut Formula One race in Bahrain at the third corner and in Portugal was handed a time penalty for ignoring blue warning flags and blocking Red Bull's Sergio Perez.

The Russian has been last in the two races he has finished.

Several websites have been set up to track the progress of 'Mazespin'.

"I think Mick maybe can adapt more, or quicker, to what the car is doing," said Steiner.

"The car is very unstable in turn-in and I guess Mick maybe can manage that one better and Nikita struggles a little bit more because he wants the rear end, just to be confident that it sticks.

"It’s one of the things where we need to try to get Nikita into a better spot, that he feels more confident."