Haas F1 boss Steiner presents Mazepin with a “Mazespin” gift

After the Russian had already experienced a few spins in his rookie F1 campaign this year, Steiner personally presented the cheeky present on the morning of the race in Austria.

When he called Mazepin into his office in the Haas RV, Steiner revealed a special gift box for the youngster – nicknamed “Mazespin” on the team.

“Here’s a little present for you. So that you can keep doing ‘Mazespinning’ …” Steiner smiled as he handed the present to the boy.

Initially unsure of what he was being given, Steiner stated that he hoped Mazepin would use the crank more than spin his F1 car.

“Now you can spin,” said Steiner. “There are two of them now. It’s the Mazespin game. You spin this: It’s better than spinning the car!”

Mazepin accepted the gift in a good mood and then posed for photos with the ‘Mazespin’.

The Russian had a difficult early phase of his F1 career as he was embroiled in a number of incidents while trying to get a grip on the team’s troubled car.

Also read:

He spun in practice and qualifying for the season opener in Bahrain before crashing into the guardrails on the first lap of the race.

During practice and the race, he spun in Imola several times before adding further incidents during practice in Portugal, Spain, Baku, France and again in Austria that weekend.

Steiner admitted his confidence had deteriorated after Mazepin’s early shoots of the season, but felt that things had improved.

“I would say his confidence took off a bit when he came in,” Steiner said earlier this year. “You know, Bahrain was very difficult with the track and the wind and it did a few twists and I think that made him a little bit confused.

“But I think he can handle it now. But it sure was a bit more of a shock to him, but he’s getting together right now, you know. I can see he’s making progress.”