LONDON • Nikita Mazepin has warned Haas team-mate Mick Schumacher not to expect an easy ride from him after the German reacted angrily to the Russian rookie's defensive tactics at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

Mazepin and Schumacher almost collided at the end of the June 6 race in Baku, as the son of Formula One great Michael tried to overtake and the Russian moved across to block him.

"Honestly, does he want to kill us?" Schumacher exclaimed over the radio.

The 22-year-old, who made the move and finished ahead of Mazepin, told reporters at the French Grand Prix on Thursday that the Russian had apologised after a meeting with team boss Guenther Steiner and chief race engineer Ayao Komatsu.

"We spoke about it together and he did, after seeing the video, apologise for it. So in that sense we're all fine," said Schumacher.

Mazepin, 22, speaking separately, made it clear that he had apologised for upsetting his teammate after what he termed "a bit of a misunderstanding".

"I apologised to him if that's how he felt, and he clearly was very upset, but I would say it is very important that he doesn't expect to have it too easy," he said.

"I'm never going to not block for whatever reason, or one another, but I just clearly didn't expect him to be where he ended up being.

"If he felt the way he did, I said sorry because that's what I think I should be doing. However, it wasn't for my particular doings at that time."

Mazepin arrived in F1 as a controversial character after a video posted on social media last year showed a young woman being groped in the back of a car.

The US-owned team's title sponsor is a company controlled by the Russian's billionaire father.

The back-marker has also been criticised for being slow to move out of the way of other drivers.

"Mazepin will never change," Ferrari's Charles Leclerc commented over the team radio after being blocked in Spanish Grand Prix practice last month.

REUTERS

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