Mazepin reveals learnings from 'unfortunate' Haas beginnings

Nikita Mazepin has explained he has "learned an awful lot" since his 'unfortunate week off' in December 2020.

Mazepin found himself at the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons mere days after signing to drive his rookie campaign for Haas when footage released on his own social media showed the Russian driver groping a female passenger in a car.

The hashtag "#SayNoToMazepin" quickly began trending with his new team labelling the driver's actions as "abhorrent".

Asked in an interview with GPFans what Mazepin learned about himself during the time after this event, he explained: “I'm not really sure where to start because obviously, I learned an awful lot.

"Firstly, I have never considered myself anything different to other people and therefore, I didn't feel that I have a greater influence or a greater responsibility than others.

"Even though I was born in a wealthy family and I was exposed to certain things that I can only say that I was lucky to [have], good food and travel to very nice places.

“The way I was brought up is…this is our luck and the luck comes from the luck of my dad and his success and his hard work but it never felt or I was never taught that I have a greater responsibility than let's say somebody else who can voice or behave in a certain way on his social media.

“Therefore, I wasn't really prepared for it because, in a very truthful way, the way I look today is…acting that you're better or more important or more responsible than other people can be viewed very often and especially in my family, as arrogance.

“If you look at my dad, he's one of the most normal people you can ever see. That's my only big example that I have grown up with."

Mazepin 'accomplished more than anybody thought'

Only the Abu Dhabi season-ending round of F2 remained at the time of the incident and with his future in the top tier secured, Mazepin allowed himself a week off.

Having achieved what was needed to guarantee the required superlicence points, he added: “I was going through a stage in my life where I accomplished what I needed to do in Formula 2 and I accomplished a lot more than anybody thought I will that time of year ago in let's say in December in 2019.

"Nobody had even dreamed of me being eligible to race in Formula 1. When I was aware there was going to be 23 races in the season, I took a week off, and then, unfortunately, that week went off in a whole different way.

“Looking at it, I think it definitely made me a lot more educated and a lot more responsible in a Western culture and in a more European culture because countries and the people and the upbringing is very different."