Nikita Mazepin talks about his massive controversy ahead of his Formula 1 debut that almost led to his sacking from Haas.
Nikita Mazepin appeared in a video leaked online allegedly groping a woman. The video instantly caused outrage among the Formula 1 fans and asked for his sacking.
The Russian driver back then was recently announced by Haas, and the video probably made him the most disliked F1 driver even before his debut.
Haas made a closed investigation, with its findings confidential but declared Haas’ driver innocent. It has been claimed that it’s because of his father’s money injected into Haas that saved him.
Talking about the controversy, Mazepin response to it was that he was only a teenager. However, he concedes that there were justified criticisms.
“I don’t feel it at all,” he replied when asked about it by Auto Motor und Sport in an interview this week. “Of course, there was justified criticism of what happened before the season. Some people already have their preconceived opinions, but you have to stay true to yourself.
“You always learn and develop,” he added. “I was just a teenager. I’m here in this paddock to make my team and my father proud,” he said.
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Nikita Mazepin doesn’t chase for a bad boy tag
Even after the controversy died down, Mazepin has been on the receiving end of the viewers for various reasons. When asked about whether he is after a bad boy image, he promptly denies it.
“Absolutely not.Maybe sometimes it comes across that way when you’re on the track fighting against much faster cars with inferior material. You try everything to get a point for the team somehow,” he continued.
“Sometimes I make mistakes, I analyse that and try to do better next time. But I certainly don’t try to be the bad boy on purpose.”
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