Nikita Mazepin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Nikita Mazepin
Ники́та Мазе́пин
Mazepin in 2019
Born	Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin (1999-03-02) 2 March 1999 (age 26) Moscow, Russia
Parent(s)	Dmitry Mazepin (father)
Asian Le Mans Series career
Debut season	2023
Current team	99 Racing
Racing licence	FIA Platinum
Car no.	99
Starts	7
Championships	0
Wins	2
Podiums	5
Poles	2
Fastest laps	1
Best finish	4th in 2023, 2023–24 (LMP2)
Formula One World Championship career
Nationality	Russian
Active years	2021
Teams	Haas
Car number	9
Entries	22 (21 starts)
Championships	0
Wins	0
Podiums	0
Career points	0
Pole positions	0
Fastest laps	0
First entry	2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry	2021 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Previous series
2019–2020 2018 2016–2017 2015–2016 2015 2015 2014–2015	FIA Formula 2 GP3 Series FIA F3 European Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC Toyota Racing Series MRF Challenge

Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin (Russian: Ники́та Дми́триевич Мазе́пин; born 2 March 1999) is a racing driver and motorsport executive from Russia. He recently raced in the 2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series for 99 Racing. Mazepin also competed in Formula One in 2021.

Nikita was born and grew up in Moscow, Russia. His father, Dmitry Mazepin, is a businessman. Nikita started his racing journey in karting. In 2014, he finished second in the Karting World Championship. After that, he moved up to junior racing series.

He raced in Formula Renault 2.0 and then the FIA Formula 3 European Championship. In 2018, he competed in the GP3 Series and finished second. He also placed third in the 2019–20 F3 Asian Championship. In 2020, Mazepin finished fifth in FIA Formula 2.

Mazepin was a test driver for Force India from 2016 to 2018. He even topped a test session in 2019 with Mercedes. In 2021, he joined the Haas Formula One team. He raced under a neutral flag because of rules about fair play in sports. He made his Formula One debut at the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix. His best finish was 14th in Azerbaijan.

Outside of Formula One, Mazepin started a sports car racing team called 99 Racing in 2022. He has raced with his team in the Asian Le Mans Series since 2023 and has won races there. He also competed in rally raid events.

Early Life and Family

Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin was born on March 2, 1999, in Moscow, Russia. His father is Dmitry Mazepin, a businessman.

Why Sanctions Happened

In March 2022, Nikita and his father, Dmitry, were added to a list of people facing restrictions by the European Union. This happened because of international events in Ukraine. The United Kingdom and Canada also put similar restrictions on them.

In April 2022, Italian authorities took control of a property owned by Nikita and Dmitry in Sardinia. After he left Formula One, Mazepin started a group called "We Compete as One". This group helps athletes who are stopped from competing for reasons not related to sports.

In 2023, he tried to challenge these restrictions to continue his racing career. In June 2023, a UK court did not allow him to temporarily stop the restrictions. However, in September 2023, the EU restrictions were partly lifted. This meant he could visit the EU for motorsport activities. In March 2024, the EU completely removed the restrictions on Mazepin.

Starting His Racing Journey

Karting Adventures

Nikita Mazepin began his international karting career in 2011. He quickly showed his talent. By 2013, he was fourth in a major karting series. In 2014, his last year in karting, he finished second in the Karting World Championship. He was only beaten by Lando Norris, who is now a famous Formula One driver.

Racing in Lower Series

Mazepin started racing cars at the end of 2014 in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000. He got his first podium finish in only his second race! After that, he raced in the Toyota Racing Series. In 2015, he also competed in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup. He earned a third-place podium finish at the Red Bull Ring.

Formula 3 European Championship Years

Learning in 2016

In 2016, Mazepin raced in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship for Hitech Grand Prix. He scored a few points that year. During one race weekend, he had a disagreement with another driver, Callum Ilott. This led to Mazepin being banned from the first race at the Hungaroring.

Improving in 2017

Even with the incident in 2016, Mazepin stayed with Hitech GP for another season. He improved a lot, scoring 108 points and finishing on the podium three times. He ended the season in tenth place overall.

GP3 Series Success

Mazepin racing in the 2018 GP3 Series in Austria.

In 2018, Mazepin moved to the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. He had a fantastic year, winning four races. This was more wins than any other driver that season! He finished second in the championship, just behind the champion, Anthoine Hubert. He also helped his team win the team championship.

FIA Formula 2 Championship Challenges

2019 Season

In 2019, Mazepin moved up to Formula 2 with ART Grand Prix. His season included an accident with Nobuharu Matsushita in the Sochi sprint race. While his teammate won the championship, Mazepin finished 18th with 11 points.

2020 Season

In 2020, he joined the new Hitech Grand Prix Team. He got his first F2 podium with a second-place finish in Hungary. He then won his first F2 race in Britain. Mazepin also won a feature race in Mugello. In Belgium, he was given a penalty that cost him a victory. He finished the season in fifth place.

Formula One Journey

Mazepin testing for Force India in Barcelona, 2018.

Mazepin became a test driver for Sahara Force India in 2016. He got to test a Formula One car at Silverstone. He continued in this role for the next two years. In 2019, he even topped the timing sheets in a test with Mercedes.

Racing for Haas (2021)

His Debut Year in 2021

Mazepin at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix.

Mazepin joined the Haas F1 Team for the 2021 season. He chose the number 9 for his car. He raced under a neutral flag because of rules from the World Anti-Doping Agency about sports competitions.

In his first race, the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Mazepin crashed on the first lap. He finished last in the next race. He also received a penalty in Portugal for ignoring blue flags. His best result of the season was 14th in Azerbaijan. This was helped by other drivers retiring from the race.

At the 2021 Belgian Grand Prix, which was very short due to heavy rain, Mazepin recorded the fastest lap. However, because the race was stopped early, his fastest lap award was taken away. He missed the last race of the season in Abu Dhabi because he tested positive for COVID-19. He finished his first Formula One season without scoring any points.

Changes in 2022

Mazepin was supposed to race for Haas again in 2022. However, on March 5, Haas ended his contract and their sponsorship deal with Uralkali. This was part of a bigger response to international events. Mazepin said he was disappointed because his willingness to continue was ignored. He also said that the sports restrictions felt like "cancel culture" against Russia.

Later, Mazepin took Haas to court over unpaid wages. He still follows Formula One when he can.

Other Racing Adventures

Rally Raid Driving

Mazepin is a big fan of rally raid racing. This type of racing involves driving off-road over long distances. In 2021, he tested with a team that wins the famous Dakar Rally. After leaving Formula One in 2022, he became very interested in rally raid. He said he would keep racing off-road as long as he enjoyed it.

He trained with Sergey Karyakin, a former Dakar winner. Karyakin said Mazepin was good at reading the terrain, even though it was his first time in the sand. Mazepin made his rally debut in June 2022. A month later, he competed in the Silk Way Rally. He won his class in that rally! He said rally raid and Formula One only have the steering wheel and four wheels in common. He found it very hot and challenging.

He couldn't return to the Silk Way Rally in 2023 due to other commitments. However, he finished second in two other rally raid events.

Asian Le Mans Series Racing

In 2023, Mazepin returned to international motorsport. He started racing in endurance racing in the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series with his team, 99 Racing. He raced under a neutral flag. In his first race in Dubai, he and his teammates finished on the podium in third place. He and his teammate, Neel Jani, finished fourth in the LMP2 driver's championship. They had strong finishes in other races too.

Racing Records Summary

Karting Career Summary

Racing Career Summary

^† As Mazepin was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.

Images for kids

• Nikita Mazepin - интервью - 2019, 02.jpg

  Mazepin in 2019

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  Mazepin at the 2018 Spielberg GP3 Series round

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  Mazepin at the 2019 Spielberg Formula 2 round with ART Grand Prix

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  Mazepin testing the Force India VJM11 in Barcelona, 2018

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  Mazepin at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

See also

In Spanish: Nikita Mazepin para niños