Mazepin caught out by "surprisingly intense" F1

Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin has conceded he did not expect F1 to be so intense after suffering a difficult opening two weekends of the season.

Mazepin arrived at pre-season testing with the media spotlight firmly fixed on him after his infamous groping incident late last year.

Unfortunately for the Russian, his on-track etiquette has also drawn ire from his competitors, especially during qualifying.

From the team's perspective, Mazepin's arrival has so far proven costly due to the number of individual errors he has made to date.

Reflecting on his experiences over the past few weeks, the 21-year-old said: “So far, F1 has been surprisingly intense to me.

"I knew it would be intense but the two qualifying sessions I have had were rather hectic. The time is shorter and there were loads of things that were happening."

After his lap-one exit from the Bahrain Grand Prix, Mazepin was pleased to at least reach the chequered flag at the second time of asking in Imola on Sunday, albeit a considerable distance behind team-mate Mick Schumacher.

"So much happened," added Mazepin, who escaped without damage from another first lap incident that resulted in Nicholas Latifi crashing out in his Williams.

"From starting in the wets and not really expecting it because the sun was shining not long before the start, then the red flag, so loads of things happening.

"It's a good learning experience in the bag and to see the chequered flag was good."

Related

More F1 news

Latest F1 news

F1 star Lewis Hamilton issues heartfelt Macklemore statement after Ed Sheeran tour axe

• 1 hour ago

Red Bull star's F1 future boosted with rival tipped to race in Japan in 2027

• 2 hours ago

Controversial F1 race director Michael Masi lands top job

• 3 hours ago

Ferrari 'Achilles' heel' exposed after big missed opportunity for Lewis Hamilton

• Yesterday 20:45

Max vs 100 Results: Final times and positions as Verstappen takes on epic Silverstone challenge

• Yesterday 19:43

Max Verstappen series switch gets green light as F1 2027 calendar confirmed

• Yesterday 17:45