Nikita Mazepin, one of the most controversy-stricken Formula One drivers in recent times, endured a rather bitter-sweet rookie stint with Haas in 2021. Not only did he end the season with zero points but also struggled to match his teammate, Mick Schumacher’s level of performance.

Of course, after an awful start with more than frequent spins and crashes, Mazepin finally got the hang of it and began to chase down Schumacher. And by the end of the season, Mazepin’s pace was on par with that of his German teammate.

Now, amid the nearing 2022 season, Mazepin is quite certain that he could further improvise his racing prowess. However, in order to accomplish that, the Russian admitted he needed to build a good rapport with all of the Haas employees.

What did Nikita Mazepin say?

Speaking to Motorsport, Mazepin openly admitted that he needs motivation and the ability to work together with hundreds of employees rather than sticking to the usual four or five engineers.

“There are some important things that I need to improve. Motivation is one of them because we’re human and like everyone else, we have a lack of motivation from time to time,” he said. “The second is teamwork and learning how to behave properly in a team. I think that’s something I need to develop.

“I feel comfortable working with three, four, or five people, but when there are hundreds of people, I can’t give everyone the time they need and I need. It’s something I have to do.”

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The car needs work too: Mazepin

Despite admitting flaws within himself, he also reckoned Haas needs to build a decent car this time around to challenge for the points.

“It’s about putting these two things together. Also, the balance of the car has to be very good. The car needs a very good balance, extra work, as it is difficult to drive. I need to improve on that as well. That’s why I was good at Mexico and Interlagos,” he concluded.

Overall, a very crucial phase ahead for Haas who hold a golden opportunity in closing down their gap to the rest of the grid. Hence, after being detached from the other teams in 2021, will the American outfit finally be able to end their poor F1 stint?

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