Nikita Mazepin facts for kids

In this article, the patronymic is Dmitryevich and the family name is Mazepin.

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 Automobile Federation
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 (born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver. He is also involved in motorsport management. He recently raced in the 2025 Middle East Trophy for Graff Racing. Mazepin competed in Formula One in 2021.

Nikita was born and grew up in Moscow, Russia. His father is Dmitry Mazepin, a businessman who used to own and lead a company called Uralchem. Nikita started his racing journey in karting. In 2014, he finished second in the Karting World Championship.

After karting, 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 came third in the 2019–20 F3 Asian Championship. Later, he raced in FIA Formula 2 and finished fifth in 2020.

Mazepin was a test driver for Force India from 2016 to 2018. He also tested for Mercedes in 2019. In 2021, he joined the Haas Formula One team. He raced under a neutral flag, representing the Russian Automobile Federation. This was due to a ban on Russia competing in World Championships.

After his time in Formula One, Mazepin started his own sports car racing team called 99 Racing. He raced with this team in the Asian Le Mans Series from 2023 to 2024. He won several races there. He also competed in rally raid events, winning his class at the Silk Way Rally in 2022.

Early Life and Background

Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin was born on 2 March 1999 in Moscow, Russia. His father, Dmitry Mazepin, is a Belarusian-Russian businessman. His father was a major shareholder and chairman of Uralchem.

Sanctions in 2022

In March 2022, Nikita Mazepin and his father, Dmitry, were put on a list of people facing sanctions by the European Union. This happened after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. The United Kingdom and Canada also placed sanctions on them for the same reason.

In April 2022, Italian authorities seized a property in Sardinia that belonged to Nikita and Dmitry. After leaving Formula One, Mazepin created a foundation called "We Compete as One." This foundation aims to help athletes who are excluded from sports for reasons not related to their performance.

In 2023, Mazepin challenged the sanctions from the EU, UK, and Canada. He hoped to restart his racing career. In June 2023, a UK court did not allow him to temporarily stop the sanctions. This meant he could not travel to the UK to talk with F1 teams.

However, in September 2023, the EU sanctions against Mazepin were partly lifted. He was allowed to visit the EU for motorsport activities. He was still under general EU sanctions for other reasons. In March 2024, the EU completely removed the sanctions against Mazepin. This was because his connection to his father's business was no longer considered strong enough after he left Haas two years earlier.

Even though the EU sanctions were lifted, Mazepin decided not to return to Formula One. He stated that it was time for a new chapter in his life.

Junior Racing Career

Nikita Mazepin started racing at a young age. He quickly showed his talent in karting and then moved into car racing.

Karting Success

Mazepin won the Russian Karting championship. He began his international karting career in 2011. By 2012, he was racing in the CIK-FIA Karting European Championship. In 2013, he finished fourth in the KFJ category of the WSK Super Master Series. His best karting result was in 2014, when he finished second in the Karting World Championship behind Lando Norris.

Early Car Racing Steps

Mazepin started his car racing career in late 2014 in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000. He got his first podium finish in only his second race. In 2015, he raced in the Toyota Racing Series. He also competed in the Formula Renault Northern European Cup. He achieved one podium finish there, coming in third place.

Formula 3 European Championship

Racing in 2016

In 2016, Mazepin joined Hitech Grand Prix to race in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He scored points in four races. He finished 20th in the championship. During a race weekend, he had an incident with another driver, Callum Ilott. This led to Mazepin being banned from the first race at the Hungaroring.

Improvements in 2017

Mazepin continued with Hitech Grand Prix for the 2017 season. He showed great improvement, scoring 108 points. He also finished on the podium three times. He ended the season in tenth place.

GP3 Series Performance

Mazepin racing in the 2018 Spielberg GP3 Series round

In 2018, Mazepin moved to the GP3 Series. He raced for ART Grand Prix. He won four races, which was more than any other driver that year. He finished second in the championship, just 16 points behind the champion, Anthoine Hubert. He also helped his team win the team championship title.

FIA Formula 2 Championship

2019 Season

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

Mazepin moved up to Formula 2 in 2019, again with ART Grand Prix. His season included an accident with Nobuharu Matsushita at the Sochi sprint race. He finished the season in 18th place with 11 points. His teammate, Nyck de Vries, won the championship.

2020 Season

In 2020, Mazepin joined the new Hitech Grand Prix Team. He got his first F2 podium at the Hungaroring, finishing second. He then won his first F2 race in Britain. Mazepin also won the main race at Mugello. In the Belgian feature race, he was given a penalty for pushing Yuki Tsunoda wide. This penalty cost him the victory. He finished the 2020 season in fifth place.

Formula One Career

Mazepin testing the Force India VJM11 in Barcelona, 2018

Mazepin became a test driver for Sahara Force India in 2016. He made his first Formula One test drive at Silverstone. He continued in this role for 2017 and 2018. In 2019, he tested for Mercedes in Barcelona. He set the fastest time during that test.

Haas (2021)

2021 Season Overview

Mazepin at the 2021 Austrian Grand Prix

Mazepin joined Haas F1 Team for the 2021 season. He signed a multi-year contract and partnered with Mick Schumacher. He chose the number 9 for his car. Mazepin raced under a neutral flag, representing the Russian Automobile Federation. This was because of a ban on Russia competing in World Championships.

In his first race, the 2021 Bahrain Grand Prix, Mazepin crashed on the first lap. He finished last in the 2021 Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. He also received a penalty at the 2021 Portuguese Grand Prix for ignoring blue flags. His best result of the season was 14th place in Azerbaijan. He missed the final race of the season due to a positive COVID-19 test. He finished his first F1 season in 21st place, without scoring any points.

Contract Changes in 2022

Mazepin was supposed to race for Haas again in the 2022 Formula One World Championship. However, on March 5, Haas ended his contract. They also ended their sponsorship deal with Uralkali. This decision was part of the global response to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Mazepin said he was disappointed by the decision. He mentioned that his willingness to continue racing was ignored. He also said that the sports sanctions felt like "cancel culture" against Russia.

Other Racing Adventures

After his Formula One career, Mazepin explored other types of racing.

Rally Raid Racing

Mazepin is a big fan of rally raid racing. This type of racing involves long distances over tough terrain. In July 2021, he tested with Kamaz Master, a team known for winning the Dakar Rally. After leaving Formula One in 2022, he became very interested in switching to rally raid. He joked that he would keep racing as long as he could "physically walk and get into the car."

To get ready, he trained with Sergey Karyakin, a former Dakar quad winner. Karyakin praised Mazepin's ability to read the terrain. Mazepin made his rally debut at the Ladoga Trophy in June 2022. A month later, he competed in the Silk Way Rally. He drove a Can-Am in the T3 category and won his class. He said that rally raid and Formula One only shared "the steering wheel and four wheels."

Mazepin could not return to the Silk Way Rally in 2023 due to scheduling. However, he finished second at the Baja Astrakhan later that year. He also came second at the 2024 Denis Davydov Baja. For his success in rally, he was named a Master of Sports of Russia in May 2025.

Asian Le Mans Series

In 2023, Mazepin returned to international motorsport. He made his endurance racing debut in the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series with his team, 99 Racing. He raced under a neutral flag. In the first race in Dubai, Mazepin and his teammates finished on the podium. He and his teammate, Neel Jani, finished fourth in the LMP2 driver's championship. They achieved a sixth place in the second Dubai race and a second place in one of the Abu Dhabi rounds.