Nikita Mazepin was unable to score a point in 2021, as was Mick Schumacher in the underdeveloped Haas VF-21.
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Alexey Popov, a Russian F1 commentator, believed the odds were stacked against Nikita Mazepin in 2021, but he was accused of making excuses. Mazepin debuted in Formula One in 2021 with the Haas team, but he struggled from the start to gain acceptance from fans and the media. The fact that his billionaire father Dmitry was heavily funding the Haas team didn’t help matters, and he was competing on the opposite side of the garage against Ferrari-backed 2020 Formula 2 champion Mick Schumacher.
Mazepin was unable to score a point in 2021, as was Schumacher in the underdeveloped VF-21, though it was Schumacher who established inter-team dominance, with Mazepin claiming his chassis was heavier and slower in the first half of the season. But, according to Popov, Mazepin’s outburst, as well as Schumacher’s simulator access as a Ferrari junior, were misinterpreted as excuses for failing to help his compatriot.
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“Yes. First of all, because I commentated on the entire past season of Formula 2 and saw him and Mick, and [Yuki] Tsunoda in action – everything was more or less on an equal footing,” Popov said as per Championat. “And out of the three of them, Nikita was in the weakest car, which in the first few races would not start at all and would not make it to the start.”
“Yes, Nikita’s first season in Formula 2 was not very good for various reasons, but, for example, in GP3 he was fighting for the title with [Anthoine] Hubert until the last round. Everything was okay with the man. And the tests in F1 in Bahrain [in 2021], he drove normally, too. And then they give this chassis to Mick, and that’s it. Then you can cry, but everything you say can be interpreted against you.”
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“Every time you talk about chassis – well, of course… Mick has a simulator in Maranello – oops, more excuses. But it’s all true. Imagine: you are a young man, there are no more tests, the Ferrari Academy works for your team-mate, I’ve seen Jock Clear in Schumacher’s motorhome every day myself. The guy makes no secret of the fact that he drives in the Ferrari professional simulator, the same one where [Charles] Leclerc and [Carlos] Sainz work. But Nikita… No matter how hard you try, especially if your car is crooked. I know what it’s like even from rented karting!”, Popov added.
