Mazepin: 'I have been waiting all my life for this special moment'

Nikita Mazepin will soon take a seat alongside Mick Schumacher at Haas F1 Team. This season will be his debut in Formula 1 and he is already looking forward to it. He is looking forward to the first race as he prepares for the season ahead.

In a Q & A session he Mazepin said he is currently preparing for the upcoming Formula One season in which he will make his debut. He is currently preparing for the upcoming Formula One season in which he will make his debut. Mazepin has been dreaming of an opportunity to drive a Formula One car for years and now sees a dream come true.

"This will be an amazing moment that I have been waiting for most of my life. The reason I love my job is that I get to drive the fastest cars in the world, along with those 19 drivers on the track. I haven't really visualised what it's like to walk into the paddock, but getting into the car for my first test day in a new car will be a special moment. I have visualised the thrill of that process many times, where it will really sink in that I am in F1, driving the best of the best. I have so many emotions around it - I'm very focused on getting the best out of this year, taking on the many challenges of this unique time in the sport and really trying to appreciate every moment of my debut season. It's hard to overestimate my sense of anticipation."

Mazepin in good spirits for Bahrain

When asked about the start of the season in Bahrain, the Russian was very positive. Bahrain is a circuit where Mazepin has tested in recent days and he is very pleased with it. He is also encouraged by the new components in the Haas car.

"Bahrain is a very good test track. The weather is stable, so there is little risk of losing time due to the cold weather at this time of year. It also offers a variety of high and low-speed corners, which will be a great test for the car's set-up, and at the same time the track surface is very abrasive, so the tyres wear out much faster during long runs compared to other circuits. This provides a good 360 evaluation of the car and it's an excellent opportunity to see where we stand in the next 23 races."

Speaking about the shortened testing, Mazepin said it was an adjustment for him as a rookie. He wants to make the most of every minute of testing so that he can perform well at the start of the season, regardless of the incident that came to light earlier this month.