Vettel and Ricciardo given bizarre F1 exit advice by Mazepin

Ewan Gale
Tuesday 22 November 2022 10:20 - Updated: 10:41

Former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin has provided bizarre advice for F1's departing drivers.

Mazepin, who saw his contract with Haas terminated after Russian athletes across sport were hit with an ultimatum in the wake of the country's invasion of Ukraine, was in attendance for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

The race saw Sebastian Vettel say goodbye to F1 as he enters retirement, whilst Daniel Ricciardo, Nicholas Latifi and Mazepin's former team-mate Mick Schumacher all left without a seat on next year's grid.

Taking to Instagram to offer his advice in a startling post, Mazepin said: "At this weekend’s F1 race in Abu Dhabi. Nice to be here as a guest and see old friends.

"Got me thinking about some words of wisdom I can share with Seb, Daniel, Nicky and Mick as they get ready to move on. So, here’s what awaits you in the five stages of departing the stable…

"Stage 1: Denial. You will find yourself driving circles around your apartment building. Don’t make the mistake I made - turn on your stopwatch. It’s entirely possible that another F1 team will be interested in your results and you won’t have to endure the next four stages.

"Stage 2: Anger. You blame everyone but yourself for having to leave F1. Particularly the 'Drive to Survive' film crew. You watch the races obsessively and yell at the screen.

"Stage 3: Bargaining. You hold a press conference where you put on a brave face and thank the team principal who fired you in hopes that your cheerful smile and natural charm will get you a seat with a new team.

"Stage 4: Depression. Drink, party on a yacht, sleep it off, and gain five kilos. Repeat on an endless loop. This will not be an easy stage to get through, but your friends will enjoy it.

"Stage 5: Acceptance. Congratulations. You’ve reached the final grand prix of being shown the exit. You stop obsessing about F1 and start thinking about your next steps.. while keeping yourself in shape and keeping the door open for a return!"

Turning to personal messages towards each of the exiting drivers, Mazepin added: "Sebastian Vettel, total respect to your climate initiatives. I’m sure they will be of great use not only to the racing community.

"Daniel Ricciardo, I know you will always keep your sense of humour. I predict great things for you in stage four, where you can drink all kinds of things out of your shoes. Be creative!

"Nicholas, thanks to you, the team and fans can look optimistically into the future. No doubt you will surprise us.

"Mick Schumacher, we grew up in this sport together, and I wish you luck going forward. I’m sure we will get a lot of likes from Pierre Gasly."