To say that the 2021 season was a disaster for Nikita Mazepin would be a massive understatement. Throughout last season, week in week out, the Russian was relegated to the back of the grid.
This was mostly because of the car he was in. The Haas was by no means a car that could compete for good results in F1. But the other element of Mazepin’s poor season was his own mentality, his lack of self-confidence, and his unprofessional attitude at times.
But as the 2022 season nears its start, Mazepin might’ve found the fix to the latter problem because he recently met one of the most mentally tough, driven, and looked up to athletes in the world – Cristiano Ronaldo.
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The Haas driver shared a photo with the second greatest player in football history on his Instagram. “Best gym session this year so far,” Mazepin wrote.
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Nikita Mazepin points out the areas he needs to improve in
In a recent interview, Nikita Mazepin pointed out that it is teamwork that he needs to improve in the coming season.
“I think that is something that I need to improve because I feel very comfortable working with three, four, or five people. But when it’s hundreds, I think I sometimes lack spending the time I need and pay as much personal time as I need with people,” he said.
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Mazepin also described how in a small team, “you naturally get to talk about things.” But if the team is bigger than that, the Russian reckons one needs to come up with ideas on “how do you unite everyone.”
Yet all these things are simply secondary elements. The one thing that matters the most and which even softens the lack of the secondary elements is performing at a high level. That is something Nikita Mazepin will have on his mind in the 2022 season.
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After all, he is one of the twenty Formula 1 drivers in a world of 8 billion people, and it’s time he shows everyone why that is the case.
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