“We were the first to hear about it”: Nikita Mazepin recalls being one of the first people to hear about Michael Schumacher’s ski crash in 2013

Nikita Mazepin says his family was one of the first to hear about F1 legend Michael Schumacher’s skiing accident in France in 2013.

Mazepin is currently driving for the Haas F1 team alongside Michael Schumacher’s son, Mick Schumacher. The two drivers have had a lot of issues both on and off the track.

They almost made contact in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku and then again at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. The 22 year old German driver and Mazepin have both agreed that they do not see their relationship improving as the year goes on.

In an interview with RBC recently, Mazepin downplayed the reported heat between himself and Schumacher. Instead, he said that the two share a very old relationship, all the way back to their karting days.

The most striking part of the interview was however, when the Russian driver disclosed some previously unknown information about his relationship with the Schumacher family.

Mazepin and his family were one of the first people to know about Mick’s father’s serious Skiing accident in 2013.

We called him and wished for speedy recovery, says Nikita Mazepin

During the accident, he was on vacation with his family at a nearby Ski resort near Meribel, France. “We were the first to hear about it,” Mazepin said. “I called and wished for a speedy recovery.”

“I then saw Mick a week later in Italy for the winter season. It was amazing how professionally he handled the situation with what had happened. And at such a young age,” he said. Mazepin also remembers meeting Michael Schumacher when he was just 11 years old.

“I didn’t understand everything he had done in the sport. To me, he was just a famous driver,” he said. “There was a respect between us. He is a fantastic person and is certainly always an example to me.”

When asked about his battle with Mick in the Haas car this season, Nikita said he had mixed feelings about his rookie season in F1.

“The team was ready in advance to finish last of the ten teams. So they don’t really care which of the young drivers is 20th and who is 19th,” said Mazepin.

Both Haas drivers are currently without any points this season. Mick Schumacher sits in 19th followed by his teammate in 20th in the Driver’s Championship. Haas will be racing in their home Grand Prix at the US GP in Austin this coming weekend.

Also read: “Formula 1 is about to become big in the United States”: Mick Schumacher says he is really looking forward to racing in Austin for the first time in his career