Nikita mazepin

1. Who is Nikita Mazepin?

Nikita Mazepin is a Russian pilot, born March 2, 1999 in Moscow. He played until January 2022 in Formula 1, for the Haas team.

2. Nikita Mazepin’s junior career

His first season in Formula Renault NEC in 2015, with a final 12th place, did not bode well for Nikita Mazepin. No more than his 20th place in F3 Europe the following season with Hitech GP. But the Russian was able to raise his level from 2018, finishing runner-up in the GP3 Series, behind Anthoine Hubert. A performance which convinced him to try his luck in Formula 2, with the dominant ART Grand Prix team, which had just crowned George Russell the previous season. But faced with an inspired Nyck De Vries in his third year and who went for the drivers' title, Mazepin completely foundered and finished 18th in the championship. The Russian then took advantage of the arrival of Hitech Grand Prix, in which his father holds a stake, on the F2 grid to complete his second season. From then on, things went much better for Mazepin, who finished 5th with two victories and six podiums. He then progresses to F1 in 2021.

Nikita Mazepin during the Qatar Grand Prix © Xavi Bonilla / DPPI

3. Grand Prix (F1) course of Nikita Mazepin

Named alongside another rookie, the German Mick Schumacher, Nikita Mazepin is directly compared to the outgoing Formula 2 champion for his first season in Formula 1. The Russian driver did not take long to be talked about since It only took him two turns during the first race in Bahrain to spin and be forced to retire. At the wheel of his Haas, the Russian obviously does not have the equipment to play higher in the ranking, stringing together laps in last position. But he generally appears to be in difficulty compared to his teammate in the American team, Mick Schumacher, whose very cerebral approach contrasts with the Russian's instinctive approach to racing. He was only able to participate in 21 races this season, having to withdraw from the GP in Abu Dhabi following a positive Covid test.

Mazepin on his Haas during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix © Florent Gooden / DPPI

During this learning season at Haas, the driver retired 4 times and failed to get into the points. He is the only driver on the grid to have failed to enter the 3rd phase of qualifying. Within a team in decline like Haas, and at the wheel of a cacochymous single-seater, we should not expect wonders from Mazepin, dead last in the world championship standings. Sad assessment… 

While he imagined returning to Haas in 2022, the geopolitical context of Russia's invasion of Ukraine pushed Haas to break the contract that linked it to Uralkali, the Russian company of Dmitry Mazepin (father of Nikita ). As a direct result, Nikita Mazepin, who benefited from his seat thanks to funding from Uralkali, was forced to leave the team. 

4. AUTOhebdo's opinion on Nikita Mazpin

His image as a daddy's boy and the incident of sexual touching of a young woman during the winter of 2021 inevitably tarnished his image even before he made his debut in sport. His chronic spins at the start of the season did not help him regain popularity either. At Haas F1, he mainly stands out during races by bothering his competitors or by not always respecting the gentleman's agreement established between the drivers.

In terms of pure speed, Mazepin may not be that far behind, but he will need to work on his approach if he wants to secure a future in the discipline. But the man is determined. Just look at his tears of frustration after failing to qualify in Q2 at the GP in Brazil. After losing his seat at Haas at the start of 2022, will he be able to bounce back and come back?