As ‘pay driver’ accusations mounted, F1-bound Mazepin drove dangerously in Sakhir

Nikita Mazepin had the luxury of starting the final weekend of the Formula 2 season knowing he had already secured a seat in F1. The Russian driver, still just 21-years-old, was unveiled last week as part of Haas’ driver set-up for next season; as a result, he had nothing to prove in Bahrain.

Despite entering the weekend in an enviable position, Mazepin’s drive in the Sakhir feature race drew further attention to his promotion for the wrong reasons. Mazepin’s defensive actions were called into question on three occasions, most notably in the aftermath of an overtake from rival Yuki Tsunoda.

Mazepin, in an effort to prevent the Japanese driver from overtaking on the pit-straight, forced Tsunoda beyond track limits at high speed. The Russian was involved in two further incidents, including an aggressive defensive chop against Felipe Drugovich.

In response, motorsport journalist Will Buxton tweeted: “Some of that Mazepin defending was over the line. Literally. Car’s width. All the time you have to leave the space.”

I don’t think much about these sorts of discussions, I’ll just do my job

– Nikita Mazepin

The Hitech Racing graduate is accused of being a pay driver; his performance in Bahrain did little to dampen those claims. Nikita, the son of Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin, sought to quell criticism of his Haas appointment in an interview broadcast in Russia last week.

“There is some frustration that people associate my success with my father’s money, but I’m confident in myself,” Mazepin said.

“I see my results. And I don’t think much about these sorts of discussions. I’ll just do my job.”

Sadly, for a driver to be successful in motorsport they still require sizable financial backing. Good drivers have fallen out of F1 because they were unable to attract sponsors to their team. On the flip side, bad drivers have made it to F1 greatly aided by their families’ wealth.

Mazepin started the weekend third in the standings and will be joined at Haas next season by F2 champion Mick Schumacher. Though the German’s surname will undoubtedly take him, the contrast between Mazepin and Schumacher’s rise to F1 has never looked so stark.

One childish mistake can be forgiven, especially when we are talking about young drivers in F2. Heck, Michael Schumacher made a collection of dubious on-track decisions while an F1 world champion. In a sport as fast-paced as motor racing, drivers will make errors.

However, Mazepin’s performance on Saturday cannot be dismissed in this way. The Russian made a number of dangerous decisions a week after the world of motorsport watched Romain Grosjean pull himself out of an inferno.

A week after he was given his first seat in F1, Mazepin has been left to look entirely out-of-touch with the expectations that come attached to participating in the highest level of racing.

Mazepin already had critics and his performance in Bahrain has further undermined his status among motorsport fans. The Russian racer most become more mature ahead of his F1 debut: the world will be watching.