Nikita Mazepin had a terrible weekend at the Red Bull Ring last weekend and finished in eighteenth place, three laps behind. However, the rookie driver feels he had an amazing first lap and he only finished badly because of certain situations that did not work in his favor.
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Regardless, the Haas driver wants to stand out in his debut season in F1 and feels like he just needs one real chance to prove himself. At the moment, however, Mazepin doesn’t feel in the right situation and hints that Haas gave him an inferior car compared to Mick Schumacher.
Nikita Mazepin feels like a “carrot to catch” after the Styrian Grand Prix
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After the race, Mazepin said: “When you have a lot of laps, long straights and a very heavy car, it is very difficult to stay in front compared to the other car (Mick Schumacher) in the team.”
He added, “I’m not happy but I’m just waiting for a new one to have a chance because right now I’m just a sitting duck. I do my best at the beginning. And then I’m just a carrot to be caught, and unfortunately I got caught, so that’s it. “
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Can Nikita improve for the next race in Austria?
The Russian struggled to get used to the wind of Formula 1 as he couldn’t break the top 10 in any of the races. His best result so far was the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he finished 14th.
Then, at the French Grand Prix, he finished last, one lap behind. And now at the Red Bull Ring, finishing eighteenth, three laps behind, has certainly undermined the rookie’s confidence.
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Formula 1 F1 – Styria Grand Prix – Red Bull Ring, Styria, Austria – June 25, 2021 Haas’ Nikita Mazepin in action during practice REUTERS / Lisi Niesner
Mazepin has to remain optimistic if he is to get a better result in the same place in a week.
Can the Russian get the most power out of the lackluster Ferrari-powered car and bring home a better result for the American-owned team? We’ll only have a few more days to find out as we prepare for the Austrian Grand Prix.
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