Mazepin studies to become a reserve officer

In Azerbaijan, rumours suddenly surfaced that Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin would have to join the army in Russia. The Russian has clarified the rumours and reveals that he is already taking the required classes alongside his university studies.

During a conference in St. Petersburg in Russia, father Dmitry Mazepin hinted that Nikita might have to join the army. Normally, a Russian has to join the army for a year when he is 18 to 27 years old.

"From my side, you know, the situation is very clear," says Nikita Mazepin at Motorsport.com. "I study in university, and the way it works in Russia, there is a mandatory military service, and there are two ways of serving if you're fit enough" One is that you can choose to go for a year or if you are very fit you can also opt for the elite army.

"It's one day a week, and you’re learning to be a reserve officer. This is what I'm doing for two years already. And I'm obviously going to continue doing it for one more year to hopefully graduate as a reserve officer," Mazepin revealed. The 22-year-old driver says he recently passed his final exams and is continuing for a second master's degree.