Nikita Mazepin, Haas, 2020

Haas condemns “abhorrent” Mazepin social media video

2020 F1 season

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Haas has issued a strongly-worded statement criticising the behaviour of Nikita Mazepin, its new driver for the 2021 F1 season, in a video posted to his social media account yesterday.

A video appeared on Mazepin’s Instagram profile which appeared to show him reaching from the passenger seat of a car to touch the breast of a woman sat behind him, who tried to move his hand away. The footage was subsequently deleted, but has circulated elsewhere on social media, to widespread criticism.

Haas, who announced last week Mazepin will drive for them next year, responded by issuing a statement criticising both the video and Mazepin’s decision to share it on social media.

“Haas F1 Team does not condone the behaviour of Nikita Mazepin in the video recently posted on his social media,” it said.

“Additionally, the very fact that the video was posted on social media is also abhorrent to Haas F1 Team.

“The matter is being dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made at this time.”

Mazepin subsequently issued an apology on social media. “I would like to apologise for my recent actions both in terms of my own inappropriate behaviour and the fact that it was posted onto social media,” he said.

“I am sorry for the offence I have rightly caused and to the embarrassment I have brought to Haas F1 Team.

“I have to hold myself to a higher standard as a Formula 1 driver and I acknowledge I have let myself and many people down. I promise I will learn from this.”

Andrea D’lval, who was identified as the woman in the video, said in a social media post that: “Nikita and I have been good friends for a long time and nothing from that video was serious at all.

“We trust each other so much and this was a silly way of joking between us. I posted this video* on his story as an internal joke. I am truly sorry. I can give you my word he’s really a good person and he would never do anything to hurt or humiliate me.”

Last weekend Haas team principal Guenther Steiner admitted Mazepin’s disciplinary record in Formula 2 meant they “have got our work cut out” to prepare him to race in Formula 1 next year. Mazepin accrued 11 penalty points on his licence during the championship, leaving him one short of an automatic ban.

*Update: Mazepin subsequently stated he was the one who posted the video

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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 - when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring...

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178 comments on “Haas condemns “abhorrent” Mazepin social media video”

  1. Maybe – crazy idea, I know – don’t put him in your racecar?!

    1. Agreed. What an absolute choc knob.

      1. Thank you, I snorted my morning coffee through my nose because of that “choc knob”.

    2. So basically the same amount of penalty point Lewis got this year

      1. Difference being he deserved them,…

      2. Lewis got points for technical rules – Mazepin tried running his competitors off the track.

        Lewis uses his social platform to put a spotlight on social and environmental issues – Mazepin sexually harasses women and shares on social media.

        What exactly is your point?

        1. Talking of pushing competitors off track then Mazepin is not alone his future teammate has done the same thing on multiple occasions including pushing Mazepin himself and has never gotten a penalty(which is too much of a ask but never gets noted by stewards) for it due to his surname and academy.

        2. It’s not Lewis posting those comments, it’s his marketing team

      3. Always some guy bringing up Lewis, and its usually Maytron the Martyr

      4. I mean wow! Whatever the subject Lewis is the point of discussion. Surely worth €60m a year!!

    3. Some pro sports teams can never find any sense.

  2. Good, they should. I am not too confident that they will act upon it though, given the money involved.

    Then again, they did say the same before they ditched Ferrucci, so maybe?

    This kid is all the bad Maldonado brought but with added “spice”. Not a good idea to get into. The FIA should also take a look at the whole situation, afterally the only reason he did not get over 12 points on his licence was that 2 incidents weren’t even looked into last weekend.

    Clearly the “nonapology” statement saying Mazepin is sorry we noticed does not cut it, and shouldn’t for Haas either.

    1. I mean, yes, it is quite a thing that Haas actually words their views this strongly actually. But still, I fear that money will overcome this (much like Money overcame much of Maldonado’s bad behaviour on track did)

      1. I don’t even mind Maldonados behaviour that much. Sure, there were a lot of questionable overtakes/defenses, but nothing truly criminal unless I’m very much mistaken. I feel its a shame that money overcomes poor driving standards but accept its the world we live in.

        I very much have an issue with rich kids assaulting people multiple times and getting away with it because of their money.

        1. Well, his blocking of Hamilton in F1 was pretty bad @minnis, but especially so since it reminded us of an incident in Monaco years earlier that got a Marshall seriously injured and actually earned him a ban for life. A ban that was overturned after Maldonado’s father made a very large payment to the marshall to pay for his recovery …

          1. I never thought I would be defending Pastor Maldonado once 😀

            I never had the impression his bad behaviour on track was on purpose. He was just error prone, lacking spacial awareness and didn’t know when to give up. Yes, from time to time he (like almost all drivers) did block other people but never in a way that he should be immediately excluded.
            Off track he’s never done anything wrong and you really can’t blame him for beeing sponsored by his country’s partroleum company (which then btw wasn’t anything like the dictatorship it is now).
            I was aware of the 2005 Monaco incident but always thought it was only a ban for some races (like it is stated in your link). You have an other source for a life long ban?

            I’m no fan of this life long thing anyway. At the time the incidents happened they were still very young and I believe in second chances.
            Take a look at Ticktum. He made a big mistake and got his punishment. But since then he has matured a lot and turned into a very decent drive.

            Mazepins behaviour on and off track is unacceptable btw and imho should not be rewarded with a cockpit in F1 right now but nor should he be banned for life.

        2. someone or something
          9th December 2020, 11:40

          @minnis
          As far as I remember, Maldonado was an okay guy out of the cockpit. Not overly humble or apologetic, but personable and reasonably well-mannered. Therefore, I resent his mention here.

          Mazepin however … I don’t think there is a recent F1 driver whose behaviour stands up to the comparison. He could be the president of the Ferrucci-Ticktum association of Drivers Who Should Have Their Licenses Revoked.

          1. His friend said it was a joke and it was her that posted it as a joke. Stop crying everyone.

          2. @OrisGuy

            His friend said it was a joke and it was her that posted it as a joke. Stop crying everyone.

            If I was to do that to one of my friends, I would quite rightly get a punch in the face from both my wife AND her.
            By this friend effectively saying that “Its ok, we’re are friends and it didn’t mean anything, she is just enabling this sort of behaviour and needs to take responsibility for it herself, especially given she was the one that posted it – for gods sake!!!!
            I personally know of someone that was raped by a friend of hers, but you know, they were friends so it doesn’t matter

            G

          3. @unklegsif

            By this friend effectively saying that “Its ok, we’re are friends and it didn’t mean anything, she is just enabling this sort of behaviour and needs to take responsibility for it herself, especially given she was the one that posted it – for gods sake!!!!

            No. She was not offended by it, maybe it happens once in awhile. It is her body and not someone else’s and you, nor anyone else in the world, gets to tell her how to feel about these actions. She even posted it, as a joke between friends. This is incredibly different from sexual assault. Stop trying to be offended for others and stop demanding that others be offended when they don’t want to be.

          4. That doesn’t make it appropriate. Some children watch F1 and the actions of the drivers on and off track could influence them. Best to keep the joking quite a lot more respectable. This and his performance in the last feature race are not a good start to an F1 career. I bet he gets sacked after a year especially now that Ferrari may be funneling cash and resources into the team?

    2. Maldonado should not be mentioned here. He was respectable guy out of cockpit. And even in the cockpit he had his moments. Remember who took last win for williams?

      1. Thing is though @vecho, “someone or something” while Maldonado never did this kind of stuff as mentioned in the article (although both do seem to share a bit of a pendant for totalitarian leaders and the money they bring for their inner circle), the on track antics were in the same range as what Mazepin shows. Both have (had) quite a bit of skill and speed racing. They were feisty, but went too far at times. Mazepin is now at 11 points, Maldonado rightly got his licence revoked PERMANENTLY for almost getting a marshall killed, before money overturned that verdict.

        1. Stop crying.

          1. We believe in free speech around here pal. If you’ve nothing more intelligent to say than effectively “stop saying things I don’t like” maybe ask yourself what you hope to achieve by commenting, and set out to do that in a way that you yourself wouldn’t blow off as nothing. I don’t believe for a second that if someone told you to stop crying that you would take any notice, it’s the weakest of the weak low effort. I think you have the ability as a fully functioning human being to make your point eloquently and with cutting humour, so why don’t you?

        2. He never ran people to the wall like Mazepin. Most of his crashes were clumsy but not intentional.

          1. He drove plenty of people into the wall. The most egregious I remember was the time he intentionally rammed Perez in free practice because Perez didn’t get out of his way fast enough, but he never sexually assaulted someone then posted it to instagram though, so I’ll still take him over Mazepin.

            https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2012/may/26/perez-crazy-maldonado-monaco-clash

      2. @neiana
        Wow, it just goes to show how far we still have to go as a society, that I have to point this out…

        I’m not “getting offended”… it doesn’t need to be pointed out that it’s her body. What I’m saying is that by condoning and defending his behaviour, “it’s alright, he does it all the time and it doesn’t bother me”, she is effectively endorsing the message that going round touching up and groping women is OK.
        Where then, is the line and how does he (or any hot blooded young bloke) know the difference between what is acceptable to one woman and not to another?
        Like I said, the extreme of this is a friend of mine who was raped by one of her friends because he didn’t know the boundaries

        I just hope that your wife, sister, daughter etc has better friends

        1. @unklegsif No, it doesn’t send that message that any male can do that to any female, regardless of relationship or consent, implied, explicit, nonexisting, or otherwise. It doesn’t send that message at all. If you really want to be off your rocker, try this one, what if a video “appeared” showing him kissing a woman, with no context or understanding of the relationship? Does that suddenly mean it endorses a message that it’s okay for males to run around and kiss any woman?

          I’m sorry for your friend but let’s get this thing straight. The guy knew the boundaries and chose to cross them. You yourself just defended him by allowing the possibility that he didn’t understand that what he was doing was wrong. In this case the boundaries are different, and my wife, sister, daughter, etc. definitely/will know how to set boundaries and not let other people influence them. You seem to be trying to set boundaries for people you’ve never met, who have a relationship that has nothing to do with you. The only problem here is that it was posted to social media in a “high class” business like Formula 1.

          1. I most certainly did not defend him – so watch what you are saying!
            What I was saying is that HE didn’t know right from wrong / correct boundaries. Surely that shouldn’t have to be explained to you

            In this case the boundaries are different, and my wife, sister, daughter, etc. definitely/will know how to set boundaries and not let other people influence them

            Its not about HER boundaries, its about his, and the fact that you don’t seem to be able to grasp that, explains to e why we are still having this conversation. This isn’t on her, it’s on him. I think someone above said something along the lines that “He should try and be a better human being”

  3. Nikita is throwing it in the bin. Dangerous on track and abhorrent off it.

    1. He’s rich.

      1. So is minster Weinstein. But he is locked up for this kind of behaviour.

        1. Errrr… hes brown bread mate. He avoided jail.

          1. @deanr No he didn’t. He’s currently serving a prison sentence of 23 years.

          2. Somebody getting their Weinstein’s and Epstein’s mixed up??

          3. Apologies… you are correct. Epstein/Weinstein…one of the same, one is dead and the other, as you say, is in jail.

        2. Only took like 40 years to get him there. I’m sure Haas will be much quicker about it.

    2. Indeed. What he did on track was a red flag for me and this makes him even less qualified for F1, good for him his dad is paying…

  4. “I have to hold myself to a higher standard as a Formula 1 driver” Mazepin

    How about just holding yourself to a higher standard as a decent human being Mr Mazepin?
    I really hope they dump him from the drive next year over this – it wouldn’t be an over-reaction, it would be confirming to the world that we’ve left the James Hunt-era completely in the past.

    1. Yeah those ‘sorry I got caught and noticed’ semi-apologies really can make the blood boil, esp. with such clearly revolting behaviour, have to agree Elly

      1. @bosyber “sorry my friend and I have a relationship that you are offended by. Sorry my friend posted it to show our relationship. Sorry your sensitivities don’t accept that she doesn’t give a cr@p about your feelings on the matter.”

        He may not be worth the seat, but that’s due to his driving and not because of this. All this is doing is proving how fragile people are when they are confronted with other people doing things that you don’t like. If the girl was offended, sure, nail his butt to the wall, but she posted it as a haha funny teehee. Get over yourselves.

        1. @Neiana how fragile. Stop it.

        2. The act was inappropriate, but after watching the uncensored video she seems almost complicit.

          The aftermath is marketing spin I’m choosing not to believe.

          Money talks, everything else does the marathon.

    2. Agreed.

    3. Exactly what I was thinking too. Glad I’m not the only one who doesn’t think this kind of behavior is acceptable from anybody.

      and even if there was some kind of appropriate context for this, complete foolishness to post it

      1. Saw what claims to be video. It showed the passenger in a car grouping the backseat passenger, who was wearing a lacy black dress.

        She was trying to stop him with her hands, then gives him the finger. She does not appear to consent or enjoy it.

        As too her statements since, consider how you would respond if someone in your social circle did this, and needed you to save their job. What would the cost be to your relationships?

        I’d cut this kid loose faster than a gut hooked snapping turtle

        1. @slotopen sure, why would she post it, then, if she was going to say, “oh, oops, my bad, oops, I uh..” ?? Don’t be daft.

          1. @neiana

            Daft for thinking she might have peer and social considerations? If you’ve never been caught between your peers and your own needs you aren’t paying attention. Lucky for him she seems to care about him more than having a video of her being groped posted.

            But it doesn’t matter anyway. The video is clear he groped her without consent. Then he posted it. Talk about daft.

          2. @slotopen she claimed responsibility for posting it, yet you are still 10000000000% certain that she is lying to cover up for him. @BelieveAllWomen

            Or… I don’t even know, anymore. Do we only believe women when it suits our own opinions?

          3. I’ve been with my wife for 20 years. This is exactly what she would do, or what I would do. We would try to minimize the consequences regardless of the internal feelings.

            I don’t believe her because i saw the video.

          4. @neiana – I agree with @slotopen – unless there is proof somewhere that she did indeed post it.

            Looking at the uncensored video there probably is more to this but all the statements that came after the fact is marketing rubbish.

    4. I suspect Hunt had a little more class and respect for others than this little git.

      Do agree though there’s no place for this in F1.

    5. It’s hard to learn to be a decent human being when you are the offspring of a Russian oligarch.

  5. I strongly predict that he will do erratic actions next year and then get sacked by the team.

    1. Yeah, after Ferruci’s behaviour, the “Rich” episode and now Mazpin, looks like Haas has the knack to choose parters. Good start Nikita…

      1. Once this happens, Ilott In. 100%.

        1. Yeah maybe Ilott misses 2021 with a most likely back of the field car while Nikita’s dad keeps the Haas coffers full, then takes his seat for 2022 and a more likely competitive car. Karma baby.

  6. I wonder of there is some sort of clause inserted into Mazepin’s contract which allows Haas to fire him but keep the money given if there is a just cause. Even if there isn’t, can’t the argument be made that the PR damage from hiring such an individual outweighs whatever financial support he brings? What do other sponsers think of this?

    1. @fw11b I think his father is probably a smart enough businessman not to allow such a clause. He would know better than anyone that his son is a liability and that clause is very likely to cost him.

  7. The girl in the video has just posted an Instagram story where she says that everything was consensual and that she is good friends with Nikita

    You should do more research before publishing stories like this @keithcollantine

    Hell, I could not care less about Mazepin as a driver or person, but it’s dangerous when stories like this are put out there with important information missing.

    1. That should have been obvious from her reaction in the video.

      As much as I dislike that smug pay driver, this is a non-story that has been blown up too much already. White knights on reddit are talking about how much that woman was in danger in that situation and that’s she’s in the car against her will.

      None of what is shown in that video is anything else than a normal interaction between young people who clearly like each other.

    2. Dude, Mazepin himself said that this was “inappropriate behaviour”.
      Also articles can be updated. And keep in mind according to you the girl in the video has just posted an IG Story.

      1. exactly.

    3. Jose Lopes da Silva
      9th December 2020, 11:10

      The most interesting comment here it is yous.
      “it’s dangerous when stories like this are put out there with important information missing.”
      Why it is dangerous? Who is going to get hurt?

      Keith Collantine did not make news about Mazepin video. He did about Haas reaction to it.
      You should target Haas. Maybe Haas reaction it’s dangerous.
      But, again, why? Is Mazepin in danger? Who or what is in danger?

    4. Agreed!! Probably not wise to publish such things when you’re famous(ish) but that appears to be his only “crime” in this particular instance.
      He come across as a bit of a nob but none of actually know the guy to make such personal assertions.

      1. But it’s not about us actually knowing him. He’s representing Haas F1, if he looks like a knob he reflects badly on the brand and team. We don’t need to spend a few weeks with him to hear about his tragic past or whatever excuses, we’ll judge him on how he behaves.

        F1 Drivers are brand ambassadors whether they like it or not, they are literally the most high profile employees in the company. They all have to wear the brand’s logos and are payed to demonstrate the brand’s values. Even at it’s most innocuous (her consenting and no one in the video being hurt or offended) this video says Haas’ values are about frat boys and boobs. Not exactly the image you want when trying to see high end industrial machines.

        I don’t think F1 drivers need to have their personality removed, Norris shows that it’s possible to represent the brand well whilst preserving your sense of humour and personality. You just need to go about it with a bit more finesse and self awareness.

        1. You just need to go about it with a bit more finesse and self awareness.

          Basically.

          Organizations only have a PR storm when their members do something illegal or against the wellbeing of others.

    5. How do you know she is good friends with Mazepin and/or if the act was consensual? Even if these two things are true, it is still an inappropriate and immature behavior that is unbecoming of a F1 driver or a regular adult. It’s as simple as that.

      1. F1 is becoming more and more of a soap opera by the day. The.only issue for me is” Can he drive a car really fast?” Let the powers that be deal with the rest.

        1. Jose Lopes da Silva
          9th December 2020, 11:27

          Do you remember the Hesketh team?

        2. @deanr so a person can do whatever he wants as long as he is good at his job? Formula one drivers represent the pinnacle of their profession and are seen as role models to many, so they should be held to a higher standard, both on and off the track.

          As for the Hesketh team, which I saw mentioned, it’s one thing to brand yourself in a certain fashion (“driver X is a family man, driver Y is a party animal”), it’s another to commit inappropriate acts that come close to sexual misconduct. I don’t recall Hesketh incentivizing this sort of behavior, and if they did they were wrong then as they are wrong now.

          1. No. That’s not what I said. I said MY only issue is if said driver can drive fast and to let the powers that be deal with the rest. Its not my place to judge someone on a personal level. Especially when I dont know said person on a personal level.
            Think things are getting a bit pantomime.

          2. Jose Lopes da Silva
            9th December 2020, 11:43

            Dean R said that “F1 is becoming more and more of a soap opera by the day.” It’s a delusion. F1 was always a soap opera.

        3. F1 is becoming more and more of a soap opera by the day.

          Thank social media. 10 years ago we wouldn’t t be hearing this stuff from 300 different platforms.

      2. How do you know she is good friends with Mazepin and/or if the act was consensual?

        She posted on IG saying that they were good friends and the act was consensual, they were joking.
        I couldn’t care less about Mazepin, I don’t rate the guy and I think he souldn’t be in F1, but this whole thing is way to much thrown out of context. It just shows you how sensible the world is right now.
        The mistake here was posting this in social Media being a “famous” person, so it was inappropriate for sure. But from there to the girl being assaulted and that she was in danger? I mean, come on…

      3. @fw11b

        How do you know she is good friends with Mazepin and/or if the act was consensual?

        Because she said so?

    6. @kingshark While you ignore the important information that he shouldn’t have and needn’t have posted the video on Instagram?

      1. Not to mention that apology/statement does seem kind of fishy – they only befriended each other on IG about 20 minutes before each posted their statement, first Haas, then Mazepin and the young woman. While Nikita mentioned they had been friends for a long time @robbie, @kingshark.

        But regardless, the behaviour was abhorrent anyway. And posting it on his instragram only made that worse. That they are now looking for a way out of the mess makes huge sense, but I am unconvinced we should take the non apologie and the supportive statement on her IG at full face value.

      2. @robbie

        he shouldn’t have and needn’t have posted the video on Instagram?

        He didn’t. The article itself says, “appeared” not “he posted”. And the young woman takes “credit” for having done so.

        1. @neiana “Haas, who announced last week Mazepin will drive for them next year, responded by issuing a statement criticising both the video and Mazepin’s decision to share it on social media.”

          I take from the above that whether or not it was the young woman who actually posted it, it got shared on Mazepin’s page to the world and he needs to be in control of that as a face of Haas.

          Obviously by NM’s apology, or perhaps just because, he knows “Hey, wasn’t me!” wasn’t going to fly. But sure ok, in his apology he uses terms like appeared, or was posted, because allegedly it was her as per her side of the story, and he needs to cover himself off as much as possible. I guess she took his phone and posted the video that he took on his page without his consent, as a joke? Alrighty then.

          As I say, not relevant in Haas’ eyes, even if she is to be believed.

          1. @robbie My wife would do that to me all the time, and my girlfriends before that. No, I never recorded myself doing this kind of thing and no, they wouldn’t be posting that kind of thing, but girls do that. Women, less so, but girls? Yes. All the way back to 2000, whatever relationship I was in, the girl asked for my passwords (livejournal back then) and posted stuff to it.

            I definitely think it shouldn’t be on his social media, regardless. It’s unprofessional and he’s supposedly a professional, in an incredibly top tier sport worth more than the vast majority of humanity will ever earn, combined.

    7. But the story is about the Haas statement. Did you want @keithcollantine to ignore a statement from an F1 team regarding the actions of one of its future drivers?

    8. Neil Debacquer
      9th December 2020, 12:20

      That statement isn’t even correct. She says they’ve been friends for a very long time even though they didn’t even follow each other on instagram up until an hour ago when this hole thing blew up. He is just covering things up

    9. It exploded all over the internet. May as well try to be first with a story like this one. And yes, it’s very F1 related. As far as consensual goes.. looks to me like it’s a damage control statement she made so she won’t lose her rich friends.

      1. I agree or maybe She could have been threatened or paid to make what seems like a very rapid response! on her part.

    10. These are all quotes from Haas @kingshark, I think you’re wide of the mark here.
      I wish you were like the old Kingshark debating the merits of Alonso/Hamilton back in 2010.

      1. @john-h

        I wish you were like the old Kingshark debating the merits of Alonso/Hamilton back in 2010.

        I too miss the old kingshark who would write essays about how Rosberg and Kubica were actually the best drivers of 2010.

    11. Haas Team formal reaction and Mazepin apologies came before Keith’s article. Makes it official enough for it to be reported ; what are you rambling about ?

    12. I wonder why the teams let these guys have the password to their social media accounts at all. Let the PR people take control. Seems like a lot of risk for HAAS or anyone else to take when you have a moron like Mazepin able to mess something up with the flick of the wrist. These modern drivers are boring anyway. Maybe the PR people could make them seem interesting.

    13. Considering the person’s dad, she might have been afraid of falling out of a window.

  8. We condem his actions, not his money

  9. If he does indeed learn anything from this, it’s that he shouldn’t film this crap and publicise it. From what little I’ve heard of him he will probably continue to act the same but perhaps learn to be more subtle about it. It’s good that Haas immediately put out a statement of condemnation but it remains to be seen if there will be any repercussions either now or if he continues to misbehave (and get caught) in future.

  10. His persona is quickly becoming risible, he’s almost a pantomime villain.

    1. like the Motherf…er from KicsAss. It was also an entitled brat within the movie.

  11. Typically inexperienced and entitled, wealthy sportsman. I’m sure the young and cocky ones help themselves to groupies every weekend, they’re just not daft enough to broadcast it on social media.

    Just look at what footballers get up to.

    Mind you, publicly threatening to expose Russell’s sexuality does seem a bit daft, typical Slav in my experience.

    1. @joshgeake, while I could pretty much agree with the first two lines of your statment, I want to propose you rethink that last line. I live in a slavic country and no, this is not at all typical for any slavic person – that is just as bad as any prejudice based on ones culture or place of birth. It’s just for mysogynist societies all over the world.

      1. Ok, fair enough. It was only what I’d found in my limited experience.

      2. Jose Lopes da Silva
        9th December 2020, 11:25

        Agreed. Every Catholic country works the same way.
        Piquet did it with Senna, and Senna did not reply saying Piquet was homophobic – replied with a lawsuit.

    2. And being banned from a F3 race for punching Ilott in the face probably doesn’t help.

      1. This actually happened and he was only banned from a single race??

  12. Jose Lopes da Silva
    9th December 2020, 11:23

    I don’t care much how drivers are out of the cockpit, unless they’re punching their rivals in the ‘parc fermé’, of course.

    This is no surprise coming from Mazepin but, again, it’s a “fait divers”. Actually, Mazepin will end up being saluted as a “refreshing icon for political incorrectness in Formula 1”. I can see him bluntly refusing to join anti-racism statements.

    It’s not because of this that he should have never reached F1.

  13. Haas needs to drop Mazepin and put Callum Illot in the car. Mazepin has proved time and again that he does not have the behavior standards expected of a F1 driver.

    1. Jose Lopes da Silva
      9th December 2020, 11:29

      Illot would get punched for the second time if that happened.

    2. If Haas sack him, there will be a chance!

  14. “I have to hold myself to a higher standard as a Formula 1 driver”

    Being an F1 driver has nothing to do with it. Not being a creep who gropes other people isn’t a rarified level of morality reserved for the 20 drivers in the top single-seater category – it’s a basic expectation for every human being on the planet

  15. Wow James Hunt would be out of drive quickly in this world, while he is celebrated as a hero by the very same people.

    1. I know right. Finger pointing hypocrites. If Kimi did it, it would be funny, a joke. Lewis does it and its shameful and it looks like we file Mazepan in the same folder.

      1. Context is everything. I feel this concept is lost on you.

    2. If James Hunt was born in 2000 instead of the 1940s his behavior would probably have been different. He was clearly a gentleman if not wild and eccentric but he did not seem to be a purposefully abusive person.

  16. The problem is all these children. They have no fear or appreciation of what is decent, what is private and what is just wrong.

  17. Meh, so he punched a driver in the face, groped a women, outed George, ran others off track or into the wall; at least he didn’t wear a non-standard t-shirt on the podium. You have to draw the line somewhere.

  18. I wonder how many chassis will Haas need next season.

  19. People seem to get up in arms about Maldonado, Ticktum, and other iffy guys within the sport but Mazepin is just a different level of bad. Even in the whole pay driver argument Stroll isn’t much different but at least the guy doesn’t do as awful things as this guy does. I can’t say I’m supportive of Haas for picking this guy, and even if he does well I don’t think I want to support him at all. Sure he could change but he’s got a lot of growth before he gets there and when there’s guys out there that have done nothing as bad as this guy and have equal if not more talent it’s just a shame he’s even here.

    1. @rocketpanda The thing about Maldonado is that while he did have a few mad moments on track, he was and is by all accounts I’ve read a lovely chap out of the car. Stroll seems a nice bloke too and has a fairly clean racing record. Mazepin and Ticktum, on the other hand… utter thugs in every way, always prickly and rude in interviews, etc. Nothing to like at all. If anything I dislike Ticktum more for his constant whining and abusing the team on the radio this season.

  20. His apology almost has the flavor of regretting posting it rather than doing it. Haas is gonna need to hire a babysitter.

  21. So all of this was consensual, All of this was good and fine with the people involved. There is a code of conduct that each team, company organization has. But I am sure that all that is going to happen is what Haas already did. Condemn it so that they don’t look like they are ok with it in front of the board members and investors.
    Actions like this to me are showing to me you are not respecting women the way you should. Especially if it ends up on camera and for everyone to see.
    F1 has tried to push the End Racism, Equality for all, End Discrimination and such…. and then here goes Mr. Mazepin.
    If Haas is not acting on it, F1 should.
    Ferrucci was a jerk, but Mazepin on my list is on a another level.

    1. Actions like this to me are showing to me you are not respecting women the way you should. Especially if it ends up on camera and for everyone to see.

      @us-brian

      Why not respect the woman herself, then? It seems everyone here is demanding a nail & coffin for the guy without giving any consideration for her at all. In fact, I see many people ultimately saying she’s being paid, or she’s afraid. Very few people actually #BelieveWomen for some reason, unless it aligns with their own morality and what they think the woman should be saying.

  22. I really don’t see what all the fuss is about, just friends messing about. The young lady posted the video herself so clearly saw no wrong in it.

    Think what I got up to when younger, all consenting but damm. Days before internet, nothing got shared and losers couldn’t get outraged about things that did not concern them.

    1. She posted it herself on Mazepin’s account? Right, makes sense

      1. @bascb According to the article above. I’ve never used the platform but people can post to your profile on others so see no reason why you couldn’t on there.

        1. No, it was posted by the nikita_mazepin account. That can only be done from a device where HE is logged in to his own account @stuben.

          1. @bascb Maybe she used his phone then hence the joke part of her statement. Think it’s clear from the video though that all friends and all playing.

          2. Sticking to the facts, not indulging in post-hoc storytelling, we see a video of a girl in a Ferrari, and his hand reaching for her chest, she covers herself up, tries to push him away, fails and tells him to F off.

            He apologises and describes it as inappropriate, she says it was consensual.

            Now if we just take their statements at face value, we have two mutually exclusive conclusions. If we apply critical thinking, we can see that he could easily have only said that for pr reasons, but then we also have to apply critical thinking to her post too – especially in the context of the sudden friending just before the statement. She could have easily been coerced, pressured or simply changed her mind about consent later, deciding that while she very obviously denied consent, perhaps she did after all, seeing as he’s a friend. So neither statement can reasonably be trusted, therefore all we actually have is a video of a girl denying consent, and him ignoring it. I think I’ve made up my mind, I’m sure mazepin or hass won’t lose any sleep over it, but neither will I if he loses his seat.

          3. Sticking to the facts, not indulging in post-hoc storytelling, we see a video of a girl in a Ferrari, and his hand reaching for her chest, she covers herself up, tries to push him away, fails and tells him to smeg off.

            He apologises and describes it as inappropriate, she says it was consensual.

            Now if we just take their statements at face value, we have two mutually exclusive conclusions. If we apply critical thinking, we can see that he could easily have only said that for pr reasons, but then we also have to apply critical thinking to her post too – especially in the context of the sudden friending just before the statement. She could have easily been coerced, pressured or simply changed her mind about consent later, deciding that while she very obviously denied consent, perhaps she did after all, seeing as he’s a friend. So neither statement can reasonably be trusted, therefore all we actually have is a video of a girl denying consent, and him ignoring it. I think I’ve made up my mind, I’m sure mazepin or hass won’t lose any sleep over it, but neither will I if he loses his seat.

    2. Maybe you haven’t seen the video.
      Even if they have some kind of intimate relationship she clearly did not want to be groped in the car.
      For anybody who’s not clear on this,consent in one situation does not equal consent in all situations.

    3. She’s literally trying to push his hands away in the video.

      1. All while suggestively sucking her finger? Just young spoilt kids being young spoilt kids.

        1. I’d say stop, but clearly you don’t know what that means. If this was you when you were a kid and you still think it’s okay, you are a predator.

  23. Well considering Mazepin has not even turned a competitive wheel in an F1 car, he is not doing himself any favours to begin with.

    The trouble is that he now has a reputation, mainly as a result of his actions in the sport, and that is going to be quite difficult to overcome. In fact I would be surprised if he proves to be exceptional enough to do this. I predict his F1 career may be quite short-lived.

  24. And a nice (and almost certainly better driver) guy like Kvyat, his compatriot, is probably out of F1 for good. Perez is out. Hülkenberg is out. Even Russel was almost out of Williams and F1 (!?), and the plan was to hire this guy instead I believe. Even his money is extremely dirty (though that’s a relative category these days I suppose, but even so). There’s absolutely nothing likeable about this guy, I wish him all the worst F1 career-wise, except to be safe of course. I understand that HAAS needed some funds, but damn, then sign Perez…

  25. “abhorrent” for this is just laughable.

    Whoever decided that what F1 needed was a complete woke snowflake takeover has completely missed the point, especially when it has no problem sucking up to Saudi money for example.

    Next thing you know the will be outrage and Raikkonen fired for holding a bottle of beer on instagram or some irrelevant PC topic.

    1. Pretty much what I was thinking too. Unfortunately my remark towards the new host from the arabian peninsula didn’t pass moderation. Maybe my wording was a bit too choppy.

      1. @d0senbrot Had the word that rhymes with prawn in it I’m afraid, nothing to do with KSA.

        1. @hazelsouthwell I see. Thanks for clarifying.

    2. “Next thing you know the will be outrage and Raikkonen fired for holding a bottle of beer on instagram or some irrelevant PC topic.”

      Wait what?? You mean that hasn’t happened! Holy avocados on toast! Off to the Woke-Mobile!

      1. @jaymenon10 Wait, what?! I don’t care about literally anything else going on in the world right now, I only care that you might eat avocados on toast?!

    3. The “woke snowflake takeover” can also be called progress. Old people die and their outdated ways mostly go with them. If you live in this world you’re feeling the change of the guard.

  26. Cannot believe there are people here actually defending Mazepin, trying desperately to clutch at straws. Consensual or not (and I have my doubts about that), stuff like this shouldn’t be public, especially when you have thousands of followers. If it was meant as a joke, it was a bad one done in poor taste.

    There’s also the added fact that this man has a history of bad behaviour both on and off the track. I don’t know what it is with Haas and attracting such entitled brats like him and Ferrucci. Mazepin needs to work really hard to redeem himself in the eyes of neutrals. He’ll need to keep his head down and keep as low a profile as possible whilst learning the ropes of F1. I fear it might already be too late.

    1. I would like to add that even though my days of being a Ferrari fan are long gone and I don’t like the idea of B-teams like AlphaTauri, I would love it if Ferrari bought a stake in Haas and fielded Callum Ilott alongside Mick Schumacher.

  27. Clutch pearls and petticoats, stand on a chair and squeal. The internet is so puritanical you could take a photo of it and put it on a box of porridge.

    1. @tonymansell Care to explain your phrase? I don’t think I’ve heard that ever being used. It seems unclear what you’re saying.

      1. Really? Try context old boy. Seems pretty simple to me

        1. @tonymansell Pearls and petticoats have nothing in common except that they are items normally associated with women, so without any further clarification from you (despite me asking and you condescendingly dismissing my ignorance on the matter) I am wont to assume that this is comment incorporates sexist and misogynistic tendencies.

          1. Congratulations on proving his point wsrgo.

          2. @wsrgo whoa, dude, whoa. Chill. While @tonymansell used language that would, probably, be a bit too old for most people to understand, it’s nowhere at all what you are wont to assume.

            “Clutching pearls”, according to Cambridge, is a thing that people–often women, because you’re right, pearls–do when they are being hypocritical but also, at the same time, virtue signaling. A thing happens, and they act shocked, but they aren’t actually shocked. In reality, they probably don’t care, or they like it, but they want you to think they are shocked because they want you to believe that they are just fine, God-fearing women.

            Same for petticoats. Women tended to grab them when they were nervous about something.

            Standing on a chair and squealing is something children do when they think they are being wronged by someone else doing something with/to/for/about something that has literally nothing to do with them. “But MOOOOOOOOOOOM! The boy across the STREET is eating a COOKIE before bed. LOOOOOOOOOK!”

            The puritans are/were a religious group so viciously backwards that they (just like our wonderful humans in some areas in the Middle East) punished adultery with death. They banned anything that could make anybody seem “inpure”. Oh, you know, that’s how they got their name… They’re so egregious in their nonsense that they actually threw people in jail for missing church on a Sunday, fined them for celebrating Christmas and had only a few days out of the year appropriate for celebrating: election day, graduation from college and a day to celebrate military exercises.

            And porridge of course is the reference to “olden times” when all of the above were more common.

            I imagine you, a person who can access the internet and make word with letters, can take the above and figure out that this is really just about a bunch of people pointing at things that are none of their concern, screaming wildly, and trying to instill the cultural death penalty on anyone who dares do something they disagree with.

          3. @neiana That’s a whole lotta words for “I’m fine with sexual assault and am openly sexisst.” Could have gotten to the point faster.

        2. Patronising.

  28. I couldnt care less about Mazepin but if anyone actually bothered to see the video you’d realize this is a non-story.
    The only thing abhorrent about this is the reaction on social media.

    They’re friends, they’re teasing each other, the outrage is laughable.
    James Hunt would be rolling in his grave.

    1. I was sent it, its less than nothing but when did that stop the internet custodians of truth and honour and the shiny sword of self righteousness. Answer. Never. I quite like this website but I could sure do without the piety shown BTL

      1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
        9th December 2020, 22:34

        Internet custodians had me laughing, I’m assuming most posters on here trashing a kid, yes Mazepin is still a young man, weren’t perfect either. I love most of the comments I read on this site about race weekends, technology and who thinks who is the most talented. But this is garbage reading grown men cry about a harmless video of two young adults goofing around on Instagram. Anyone trashing this kid is a hypocrite.

  29. Hemingway (@)
    9th December 2020, 15:27

    Was she exposing herself?

  30. Simple mistake he honked the wrong horn.

  31. Mmmm. I don’t know. He hits other drivers who get in his way during practice, tries to run people off the road, likes gay bashing online and asks female fans for nude pics. So I’m sure he will have a select but loyal following on here.

    1. Yeah… Seeing a side of the F1 fan base I didn’t know existed in the year 2020.

      Wonder if these guys are also fans of Trump, Weinstien and Saville.

      1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
        9th December 2020, 22:36

        Are you actually comparing Mazepin to Trump and Weinstein? Unbelievable.

        1. Seems fair. One brags about sexually assaulting women on tape, the other explicitly does it on social media.

          1. Josh (@canadianjosh)
            10th December 2020, 0:47

            Lol wow, male version of a Karen we have here.

          2. @repete86 pretty sure I saw Biden actually groping young girls while they were preparing for photo ops, but hey! As long as he isn’t Trump, it’s fine? Right? Or is it not fine, we just ignore that it ever happened? I’m confused. How does it work when the good guy also sexually assaults people? Is there a website I can go to that will tell me what to feel or at least whether or not I am supposed to believe what literally happened on video, many times, and how to explain it away in my functioning brain?

          3. @neiana I happen to believe Tara Reid and think Biden is also trash, but as far as comparisons go I’d say bragging about sexually assaulting someone on tape is more comparable to actually sexually assaulting someone on tape than putting hands on someone’s shoulders, which is what you’re actually referring to. Keep defending predators like it’s in your best interest for sexual assault to continue to be normalized though. It’s probably safer for people around you if they know that you don’t understand that consent is a two way street.

      2. Ferrucci supports Trump

  32. Michael (@freelittlebirds)
    9th December 2020, 21:01

    Burn him at the stake… otherwise, make him a US President! The choices are very clear!

  33. Senators, in the United States of America were forced to QUIT because of less things like this…

    I guess HAAS needs the Russian rubles, even if it is a very weak currency…

    SAD…!

    1. @win7golf I buy my comics from Russia because even with shipping and the long wait, it costs 1/4th what American comics cost.

      1. Ah ha! Now I can see where you are coming from.

  34. So many White Knights here. I, for one, am glad that there’s the potential for more laddish / playboy-like behavior in F1! It’s been beyond pathetic to see drivers bringing their parents or siblings to GP weekends instead of super-hot supermodels or pop stars. Mazepin is a breath of fresh air.

    1. Jose Lopes da Silva
      11th December 2020, 6:57

      This materialized quickly.

  35. RocketTankski
    10th December 2020, 0:42

    (All together now, one, two, three)
    (Keep you mind on your drivin’)
    (Keep you hands on the wheel)
    (Keep your snoopy eyes on the road ahead)
    (We’re having fun sitting in the back seat kissing and a-hugging with Fred)
    (Dee doody doom doom, dee doody doom doom)

  36. In other Mazepin news-check his Twitter account, it’s full of people complaining about his followers being racist and rude and reply from Mazepin was “welcome to the real world russia”
    also he “blackmailed” Russel about “I know something about your partner that you can call a coming out”

  37. Everyone offended for something that the person involved isn’t offended by. Just like the grid girl debacle from a few years back, no one involved complained but the do-gooders felt the urge to get involved. Pathetic.

  38. Perpetually offended people being perpetually offended. Seems to be very common in the UK.

  39. Money money money money, money [Repeat: x 6]
    Some people got to have it
    Some people really need it
    Listen to me why’all, do things, do things, do bad things with it
    You want to do things, do things, do things, good things with it
    Talk about cash money, money
    Talk about cash money- dollar bills, why’all
    For the love of money
    People will steal from their mother
    For the love of money
    People will rob their own brother
    For the love of money
    People can’t even walk the street
    Because they never know who in the world they’re gonna beat
    For that lean, mean, mean green
    Almighty dollar, money
    For the love of money
    People will lie, Lord, they will cheat
    For the love of money
    People don’t care who they hurt or beat
    For the love of money
    A woman will sell her precious body…

    1. Mazepin was An Impostor.

  40. Oh, well. All this will get swept under the rug and the F1 life will go on.

    At least, the silver lining is that, even in a male-centric like this, the predator cheerleaders -while loud and obnoxious- are few and far between these days.

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