Nikita Mazepin’s father personally paid for his son’s new chassis, according to the businessman himself.
F1 driver Mazepin is having what is possibly the worst debut season in recent memory. Multiple DNFs, controversies and being second-best to his teammate every weekend have defined his season.
The rookie is set to race for Haas in 2022, so surely he can’t do worse than this. With two races to go, the driver sits 20th in the Constructors’ Championship and more than five tiers below the average on talent.
For a very brief period, however, it looked like he had improved. This was attributed to a chassis change he had requested. However, it has been revealed that Mazepin’s father personally paid for his son’s chassis.
As quoted by Planet F1, Dmitry Mazepin said, “Yes, it (the old chassis) really was a problem, but we solved it together with the team.
“One chassis was destroyed at the end of the year as a result of a major accident, and a new one was built. The team then decided to give the new chassis to Mick Schumacher.
“But as soon as Nikita drove the old one, he immediately gave feedback that it was very different.”
Changing times
Dmitry also revealed when and under what circumstances the chassis change took place, and why he decided to fund it himself.
“It was in June when the team and I agreed that the chassis would change between the drivers to give them the chance to compare,” he Co continued.
“Nikita had a good weekend with the new one and Mick had a big accident.
“So we made the decision to build a new chassis and I paid for the construction of it with my own money because we believe that the team should fight on equal terms,” he concluded.