Nikita Mazepin accuses F1 of being two-faced and claims drivers should "grow up"

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Mazepin accuses F1 of being two-faced and claims drivers should "grow up"

Mazepin's comments come in the wake of more gentleman's agreement arguments

Ewan Gale

Tuesday 6 July 2021 18:29

Nikita Mazepin believes the 'two-faced world' of F1 should just "grow up and get on with it" after more trouble over the so-called 'gentleman's agreement' at the Austrian Grand Prix.

Qualifying at the Red Bull Ring became problematic as drivers aimed for different out-lap speeds to get their front tyres into an optimum working window, meaning multiple overtakes and a mass bunching at the end of a lap.

Race director Michael Masi had instructed drivers to avoid slowing in between the final two corners when preparing their laps but Fernando Alonso was the victim of a Sebastian Vettel block as multiple cars contravened Masi's directive.

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Valtteri Bottas, who was summed to the stewards' room for driving unnecessarily slowly, suggested the chaos was caused by cars overtaking while Vettel revealed drivers have never followed the gentleman's agreement.

Much was made of Mazepin's antics in the opening qualifying session of the season in Bahrain, leading to the Russian accusing the sport of being deceitful.

"I was made a very easy target in Bahrain qualifying and everyone made a big deal out of it at a point where I didn't know very much about qualifying itself in F1," said Mazepin.

"It was my first one and I have never raced in a category where that was applied or discussed. As a newcomer to F1, that does not get discussed in the drivers' briefing or any other meeting with drivers included.

"I just think F1 is a very double-faced world. If you have a big name under you with loads of championships under your belt, your actions are criticised less than if you don't."

Mazepin a fan of "growing up"

With the issue becoming prominent at Bahrain, Azerbaijan and Austria and notorious problems expected to be repeated at venues like Monza later in the season, Mazepin ruled out needing a hard-and-fast rule to stop the fiascos on out-laps.

"I am a big fan of growing up and just getting on with it," he explained. "I don't like complaining so much on the radio because it doesn't help the situation instantly.

"You cannot make a rule that will work for it, you just have to accept this is Formula 1, and F2 and F3 are exactly the same, they just have less radio coverage so you don't see as many angry messages.

"It is also a matter of luck and sometimes the track positioning goes towards your benefit and sometimes it doesn't but ultimately, it is up to making a good show for everyone so I actually don't mind it so much."

When put to him F1's world feed doesn't show the full context of blocking scenarios and can 'stitch-up' drivers who subsequently get penalised for impeding, Mazepin added: "My truthful opinion is that you are very right, but I think it is a battle we will never win.

"F1 is an entertaining sport and people love to see happiness and angriness at the same time.

"They like that spectrum of emotions and I think F1 is doing a great job of delivering that so I don't believe we are going to be able to improve that, unfortunately."