Nikita Mazepin has the reputation of a potential bad boy in Formula 1 especially after his tenure in F2. He is most famously known for posting an offensive video online just days after signing for Haas.
The Moscow-born driver has not yet raised eyebrows on the grid with his performance. However, he did end up annoying some of his co-drivers with his moves on the track.
The Azerbaijan Grand Prix saw Mazepin record his highest rank this season – 14th place, even after being overtaken by his teammate Mick Schumacher.
Mazepin gives himself a score
In an interview, the 22-year-old was asked to rate his own performance of this season.
The Haas driver admits that he has improved significantly especially after his dreadful time at the Bahrain Grand Prix.
“If I had been asked after Bahrain, I would have given myself a very low score,” said Mazepin.
“But after careful analysis of the past races, the reason for my quite bad results and turns in the first three races was the car itself. After that, I would probably have given myself a four.”
‘Already learned to deal with disappointments’
The Haas duo had joined the team knowing very well that they would be racing at the back of the pack for the entire duration of the season.
Mazepin also adds that he had learned to deal with failures and disappointments during his first year in F2 (2019).
However, his performance improved after he joined the Hitech team.
What did Mazepin say?
“Before the 2019 season, I was just mentally unprepared for the likely lack of results,” said Mazepin, quoted by sports.ru.
“You always want to show up and make it work. But unfortunately, in racing and other areas of life, you don’t always get the level of results you want.
“This year, of course, it hasn’t been easy. The pressure in F1 is incomparable to any other series. But I think I am reacting to it correctly and with dignity.”
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