Nikita Mazepin

Nikita Mazepin
Born	Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin (1999-03-02) March 2, 1999 Moscow, Russia
Occupation(s)	Racing driver, motorsport executive
Years active	2011–present
Known for	Competing in Formula One for Haas (2021)
Notable work	Founder of 99 Racing

Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin (; born 2 March 1999) is a Russian racing driver and motorsport executive, most recently competing under a neutral banner in the 2025 Middle East Trophy representing Graff Racing. He participated in Formula One during .

Hailing from Moscow, Mazepin is the son of Belarusian-Russian businessman and oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who owns Uralchem. After finishing second behind Lando Norris at the 2014 Karting World Championship, he advanced through various junior racing categories. Following a stint in Formula Renault 2.0, he took part in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship in , concluding the season tenth overall in 2017. The next year, he was runner-up to Anthoine Hubert in the GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix. He also achieved third place in the 2019–20 F3 Asian Championship. Progressing to FIA Formula 2 in , Mazepin secured fifth position in the championship with Hitech.

Mazepin held a test driver role at Force India from to and recorded the fastest time during the 2019 Barcelona mid-season test while driving the W10 for Mercedes. He joined the Haas roster for , partnering Mick Schumacher and competing under a neutral flag due to representing the Russian Automobile Federation. His debut race ended with a crash on the opening lap, and Haas failed to earn points throughout the season. Mazepin’s highest finish was fourteenth at the 2021 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. His final Formula One appearance was in Saudi Arabia; he missed the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix after contracting COVID-19. Despite having a contract spanning multiple years, both Mazepin and Russian sponsor Uralkali were removed from Haas for following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, resulting in two years of legal disputes and arbitration.

Post-Formula One, Mazepin established the Jordanian-British sportscar outfit 99 Racing, which competed in the Asian Le Mans Series between 2023 and 2024, achieving several victories. He also demonstrated strong performance in rally raid events, winning his category at the 2022 Silk Way Rally.

Early and personal life

Nikita Dmitryevich Mazepin was born on 2 March 1999 in Moscow, Russia. He is the son of businessman and oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, a Belarusian-Russian entrepreneur who formerly served as core shareholder and chairman of Uralchem.

2020 social media controversy

On 9 December 2020, Mazepin shared an Instagram story depicting inappropriate physical contact with a woman. The Haas F1 Team publicly condemned the footage as "abhorrent," while Mazepin apologized, admitting he had disappointed people; however, his apology was removed nine days afterward. In March 2021, he reaffirmed that his behavior was unacceptable. Initially, the woman involved described the incident as a joke but later distanced herself by posting messages opposing disrespectful conduct and unfollowing Mazepin on social media. This episode triggered the "#WeSayNoToMazepin" movement on Twitter, where over 41,000 supporters petitioned for his removal from Haas.

2022 sanctions

In March 2022, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, both Nikita Mazepin and his father Dmitry were placed on the European Union’s sanctions list. Subsequently, similar sanctions were imposed by authorities in the United Kingdom and Canada. In April 2022, Italian officials seized a Sardinian residential estate owned by them valued at more than $114 million. After his exit from Formula One, Mazepin founded "We Compete as One", an initiative aimed at supporting athletes barred from competition due to political decisions.

In 2023, Mazepin contested sanctions imposed by the EU, UK, and Canada to enable a return to racing. A UK court rejected his request in June to temporarily lift sanctions for negotiations with Formula One teams. By September, EU authorities partially eased restrictions, permitting him entry for motorsport purposes while maintaining other limitations. In October, he obtained an Italian visa despite ongoing sanctions.

In March 2024, EU authorities revoked sanctions against Mazepin after determining that criteria beyond familial connections no longer applied following his departure from Haas two years earlier.

Karting

Following his triumph in the Russian Karting Championship, Mazepin launched his international karting journey in 2011 by participating in the Trofeo Andrea Margutti. By his second year, he had progressed to competing in the CIK-FIA Karting European Championship within the KF3 category. In 2013, he secured fourth place in the WSK Super Master Series KFJ division. His final year in karting, 2014, saw him achieve a runner-up position at the Karting World Championship, finishing behind Lando Norris.

Lower formulae

Mazepin transitioned to car racing during the 2014–15 season in the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Championship, where he earned a podium finish in only his second event. He then took part in the 2015 Toyota Racing Series with ETEC Motorsport, concluding the season 18th overall. Following this, he joined Josef Kaufmann Racing to compete in the 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, sharing the grid with drivers such as Louis Delétraz and Kevin Jörg. Throughout the season, Mazepin achieved a single podium at the Red Bull Ring and ended twelfth in the championship standings.

2016

Mazepin competed for Hitech Grand Prix in the 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship. He managed to score points on four occasions but finished 20th overall, last among full-season entrants. An on-track collision with Callum Ilott led to Mazepin receiving a ban from the opening race at Hungaroring after an incident where he physically struck Ilott. The penalty stirred debate, with Ilott’s team principal describing it as insufficiently severe.

2017

Retained by Hitech for a second year in the 2017 FIA Formula 3 European Championship, Mazepin showed marked improvement. He accumulated 108 points, secured three podium finishes, and concluded the season tenth overall, narrowly trailing his teammate Ralf Aron.

GP3 Series

In 2018, Mazepin stepped up to compete in the 2018 GP3 Series with ART Grand Prix, alongside teammates Callum Ilott, Jake Hughes, and reigning champion Anthoine Hubert. He claimed victory in four races—the highest number of wins that season—and finished as runner-up in the drivers' championship, trailing Hubert by 16 points. Additionally, his efforts contributed significantly to ART Grand Prix capturing the teams' championship crown.

2019

Mazepin progressed to Formula 2 in 2019 with ART Grand Prix, partnering with Nyck de Vries. His campaign included a collision that caused a crash involving Nobuharu Matsushita during the sprint race at Sochi. While de Vries secured the championship title, Mazepin ended the season 18th overall with a total of 11 points.

2020

In 2020, Mazepin joined the newly formed Hitech Grand Prix Team, racing alongside Italian driver Luca Ghiotto. He earned his first podium finish at Hungaroring and followed this with wins at Silverstone and Mugello. During the feature race at Spa-Francorchamps, a last-lap penalty for forcing rival Yuki Tsunoda off track cost him what would have been another victory.

Formula One career

Mazepin was appointed as a test driver for Sahara Force India in 2016 and made his debut during the Silverstone mid-season test, recording a lap time of 1:31.561. He maintained this testing role through both 2017 and 2018, completing extensive mileage at circuits including Hungaroring. In 2019, Mazepin participated in testing sessions for Mercedes in Formula One at Barcelona, where he topped the timing charts with a best lap of 1:15.775.

2021

For the 2021 season, Mazepin signed a multi-year contract with the Haas F1 Team, joining teammate Mick Schumacher. He selected number 9 as his permanent racing number and competed under a neutral flag representing the Russian Automobile Federation due to restrictions imposed by the World Anti-Doping Agency on Russia in international competitions.

Mazepin's debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix ended in a first-lap crash. Following a last-place finish at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and a five-second penalty at the Portuguese Grand Prix for disregarding blue flags and impeding Sergio Pérez, he gradually showed progress. His initial race outperforming teammate Schumacher came at the Monaco Grand Prix, and he recorded his best result during the subsequent Azerbaijan Grand Prix, benefiting from multiple retirements among other drivers.

Mazepin was forced to miss the season finale at the Yas Marina Circuit after testing positive for COVID-19 and was not substituted. He concluded his rookie year in 21st place overall without scoring any championship points.

2022 contract dispute

Mazepin was slated to continue with Haas in the 2022 Formula One World Championship under the same neutral status representing the Russian Automobile Federation as the previous year. Nevertheless, on 5 March, Haas terminated both his contract and their association with title sponsor Uralkali amid international reactions to the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine. Expressing frustration, Mazepin claimed his readiness to comply with any conditions for continuation was disregarded. In an interview with the BBC, he characterized the sporting sanctions as "cancel culture" directed against Russia and acknowledged the sensitivity of commenting on the conflict.

In July 2022, Mazepin initiated legal action against Haas in a Swiss court over unpaid salary claims. Despite his departure from F1, he affirmed in interviews that he remains an avid follower of the sport. The dispute extended over two years involving legal proceedings and arbitration, during which Haas had assets seized at the 2024 Dutch Grand Prix amid ongoing conflicts with Uralkali.

Although European Union sanctions against Mazepin were lifted in 2024, he opted not to return to Formula One, stating that "the time has come to write the next act of my life as an adult."

Rally raid

Mazepin has shown enthusiasm for rally raid events, having tested with Kamaz Master—the Dakar-winning truck team—in July 2021. After departing Formula One in 2022, he expressed interest in pursuing rally raid competitions if he did not return to F1. In a July 2022 interview, he conveyed his intention to continue competing off-road as long as it remained enjoyable, highlighting that rally raid imposes no age restrictions.

To gain proficiency, Mazepin trained alongside former Dakar quad champion Sergey Karyakin and Snag Racing. Karyakin commended Mazepin’s rapid adjustment to sand terrain despite it being his initial experience.

Mazepin made his rally raid debut at the Ladoga Trophy in June 2022 and participated in the Silk Way Rally a month later, piloting a Can-Am in the T3 category for Snag Racing. He won his class and secured a stage victory on leg seven. Reflecting on both disciplines, he remarked that rally raid and Formula One share only "the steering wheel and four wheels," emphasizing rallying’s distinct physical and mental demands.

He was absent from the 2023 Silk Way Rally due to scheduling conflicts but achieved second place at that year’s Baja Astrakhan event. In 2024, he again finished runner-up at the Denis Davydov Baja.

In recognition of his accomplishments in rally raid, Mazepin was awarded the title of Master of Sports of Russia on 29 May 2025.

Asian Le Mans Series

In 2023, Mazepin made his return to the international racing scene by debuting in endurance racing during the 2023 Asian Le Mans Series with 99 Racing, competing under a neutral banner. At the opening round held at the Dubai circuit, Mazepin and his teammates Neel Jani and Gonçalo Gomes achieved a podium placement, with Jani narrowly missing out on second place to Charlie Eastwood. The squad concluded the season fourth in the LMP2 drivers' standings, securing sixth place in the second Dubai event, followed by seventh and second positions across the two races in Abu Dhabi.

Middle East Trophy

In 2025, Mazepin took part in the 2025 Middle East Trophy representing Graff Racing.

Karting career summary

Season	Series	Team	Position
2010	WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini	DR Srl	18th
2011	Trofeo Andrea Margutti — 60 Mini		27th
	WSK Super Master Series — 60 Mini	Birel Motorsport	NC
	Italian CSAI Karting Championship — 60 Mini		69th
2012	Trofeo Andrea Margutti — KF3	Chiesa Corse	18th
	Trofeo delle Industrie — KF3		11th
	WSK Euro Series — KF3		22nd
	CIK-FIA European Championship — KF3		34th
	WSK Final Cup — KF3		24th
	Copa Campeones Trophy — KF3		4th
	Grand Prix Open Karting — KF3		21st
2013	South Garda Winter Cup — KF3		24th
	Italian Championship — KF3		9th
	Kartmasters British Grand Prix — Rotax Junior		5th
	WSK Euro Series — KFJ	Tony Kart Racing Team	18th
	WSK Super Master Series — KFJ		4th
	CIK-FIA European Championship — KFJ		38th
	CIK-FIA World Championship — KFJ		18th
	WSK Final Cup — KFJ		16th
2014	South Garda Winter Cup — KF2	Tony Kart Racing Team	10th
	WSK Champions Cup — KF		6th
	WSK Super Master Series — KF		8th
	CIK-FIA European Championship — KF		23rd
	CIK-FIA World Championship — KF		' style="background:#DFDFDF;" 2nd

Complete CIK-FIA Karting European Championship results

(key) (Entries shown in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics represent fastest lap)

Year	Team	Category	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Overall	Points
2012	Chiesa Corse	KF3	PSB R1 17	PSB R2 17	PFI R1 30	PFI R2 30					34th	0
2013	Tony Kart Racing Team	KFJ	ALC 28	ORT DNQ							38th	0
2014	Tony Kart Racing Team	KF	LAC QH 9	LAC R 18	ZUE QH 10	ZUE R 14	GEN QH 17	GEN R 20	PFI QH 29	PFI R 24	23rd	5

Complete Karting World Championship results

Year	Team	Category	Final standing
2013	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tony Kart Racing Team	KFJ	18th place
2014	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Tony Kart Racing Team	KF	2nd

Summary of racing career

Season	Championship	Team	Starts	Victories	Pole positions	F/Laps	Podium finishes	Points scored	Ranking
2014–15	MRF Challenge Formula 2000	MRF Racing	4	0	0	0	1	36	10th place
2015	Formula Renault 2.0 NEC	Josef Kaufmann Racing	16	0	0	0	1	125.5	12th overall
	Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0		7	0	0	0	0	Template:N/A	NC†

Full MRF Challenge Formula 2000 Results

(key) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole position) (Races shown in italics represent fastest lap)

Year	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	Final Position	Points
2014–15	LOS 1 5	LOS 2 2	LOS 3 Ret	LOS 4 6	BHR 1	BHR 2	BHR 3	BHR 4	MMR 1	MMR 2	MMR 3	MMR 4	10th	36

Full Toyota Racing Series Results

(key) (Pole positions are indicated in bold; fastest laps are shown in italics)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Standing	Points Earned
2015	ETEC Motorsport	RUA 1 Ret	RUA 2 13	RUA 3 Ret	TER 1 13	TER 2 16	TER 3 15	HMP 1 11	HMP 2 Ret	HMP 3 8	TAU 1 13	TAU 2 10	TAU 3 17	TAU 4 15	MAN 1 20	MAN 2 Ret	MAN 3 11	18th	304

Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Results

(key) (Bold text signifies pole position; italicized text indicates fastest lap)

Year	Team/Entrant	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	Final Rank	Points Scored

|- 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ! nowrap| Josef Kaufmann Racing | style="background:#;" | ALC
1
{{small|} | style="background:#;" | ALC
2
{{small|} | style="background:#;" | ALC
3
{{small|} | style="background:#cfcfff;" | SPA
1
Template:Small 24 | style="background:#cfcfff;" | |SPA  2  Template:Small 14 | style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |HUN 1 Template:Small 17| style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |HUN 2 Template:Small 14| style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |SIL 1 Template:Small 20| style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |SIL 2 Template:Small 12| style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |SIL 3 Template:Small 18| style= "background:#;" | |NÜR 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |NÜR 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |LMS 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |LMS 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |JER 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |JER 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |JER 3 {{{1}}}|

! NC† ! 0 |} |- 2016 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ! nowrap| AV Formula (AVF) | style= "background:#;" | |ALC 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |ALC 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |ALC 3 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#dfffdf;" | |MON 1 Template:Small 5| style= "background:#cfcfff;" | |MNZ 1 Template:Small 12| style= "background:#dfffdf;" | |MNZ 2 Template:Small 8| style= "background:#efcfff;" | |MNZ 3 Template:Small Ret| style= "background:#;" | |RBR 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |RBR 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |LEC 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |LEC 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |SPA 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |SPA 2 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |EST 1 {{{1}}}| style= "background:#;" | |EST 2 {{{1}}}|

! 16th ! 11 |} † As Mazepin participated as a guest competitor, he was not eligible to accumulate points.

Full Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup Results

(key) (Entries in bold denote pole position) (Entries in italics signify fastest lap)

Season	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	Final Position	Total Points
2015	Josef Kaufmann Racing	MNZ 1 10	MNZ 2 Ret	SIL 1 14	SIL 2 Ret	RBR 1 9	RBR 2 Ret	RBR 3 3	SPA 1 8	SPA 2 10	ASS 1 12	ASS 2 12	NÜR 1 8	NÜR 2 13	HOC 1 6	HOC 2 Ret	HOC 3 18	12th	125.5

Full FIA Formula 3 European Championship Results

(key) (Pole positions are shown in bold) (Fastest laps appear in italics)

Year	Team Entry	Engine Manufacturer	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30	Final Standing	Points Accumulated
Template:FIAF3	Hitech GP	Mercedes	LEC 1 19	LEC 2 12	LEC 3 10	HUN 1 EX	HUN 2 Ret	HUN 3 13	PAU 1 16	PAU 2 13	get PAU 3 'Ret'

Full Macau Grand Prix Results

Year	Team	Car	Qualifying Position	Qualifying Race Position	Main Race Result
2016	Template:Country data GBRTemplate:Namespace detect showall Hitech GP	Dallara F312	18th	18th	DNF

Complete GP3 Series Results

(key) (Races shown in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics signify fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	Final Position	Points Scored
2018	ART Grand Prix	CAT FEA 1	CAT SPR 10	LEC FEA 2	LEC SPR 5	RBR FEA 13	RBR SPR 7	SIL FEA 2	SIL SPR 7	HUN FEA 1	HUN SPR 12	SPA FEA 5	SPA SPR 1	MNZ FEA 5	MNZ SPR 3	SOC FEA 2	SOC SPR Ret	YMC FEA 5	YMC SPR 1	2nd	198

Complete FIA Formula 2 Championship Results

(key) (Bold indicates pole position) (Italicized results show points earned for fastest lap among top ten finishers)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	Championship Position	Points Accumulated

|- |

!nowrap | ART Grand Prix
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  BHR 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  BHR 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#DFFFDF;" |  BAK 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |  BAK 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  CAT 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  CAT 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#DFFFDF;" |  MON 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#DFFFDF;" |  MON 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" |  LEC 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  LEC 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  RBR 
 Feature Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  RBR 
 Sprint Race  
  
|style="background:#CFCFFF;" |  SIL 
 Feature Race  †

  <style=“color:gray”>†   Did not finish but classified as completed over 90% distance.

Full F3 Asian Championship Results

(key) (Races in bold denote pole position) (Races in italics denote fastest lap)

Year	Team	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	Final Position	Points Total
2019–20	Hitech Grand Prix	SEP 1 4th	SEP 2 2nd	SEP 3 5th	DUB 1 4th	DUB 2 4th	DUB 3 6th	ABU 1 2nd	ABU 2 6th	ABU 3 3rd	SEP 1 5th	SEP 2 2nd	SEP 3 4th	CHA 1 5th	CHA 2 8th	CHA 3 8th	3rd Overall	186 Points

Full Formula One Results

Year	Team	Chassis	Engine	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	WDC	Points
Template:F1	Uralkali Haas F1 Team	Haas VF-21	Ferrari 065/6 1.6L V6 Turbocharged

Full Asian Le Mans Series Results

(key) (bold signifies pole position; italics indicates fastest lap)

Year	Team Name	Category	Chassis Model	Engine Type	Race 1	Race 2	Race 3	Race 4	Race 5	Final Standing	Total Points

|- || nowrap | 2023 Asian Le Mans Series || nowrap | 99 Racing || LMP2 Class || nowrap | Oreca 07 || nowrap | Gibson Technology#Gibson GK428 V8 engine (LMP) Gibson GK428 GK428, a 4.2 L V8 || style = "background: #FFDF9F" || DUB
Race 01
|| style = "background: #DFFFDF" || DUB
Race 02
|| style = "background: #DFFFDF" || ABU
Race 01
|| style = "background: #DFDFDF" || ABU
Race 02
|| || Finished 4th || Scored 49 Points |} |- || nowrap | 2023–24 Asian Le Mans Series || nowrap | 99 Racing || LMP2 Category || nowrap | Oreca 07 || nowrap | Gibson Technology#Gibson GK428 V8 engine (LMP) Gibson GK428 GK428, a naturally aspirated V8 of 4.2 liters || style = "background: #FFFFBF" || SEP
Race 01
|| style = "background: #DFDFDF" || SEP
Race 02
|| style = "background: #FFFFBF" || DUB
Race 01
|| ABU
Race 01 || ABU
Race 02 || || Ranked 4th Overall || Accumulated 68 Points |}

External links

• http://nikitamazepin.com/
• DriverDB profile for Nikita Mazepin