Formula 1 fans suddenly love Nikita Mazepin

Formula 1’s most hated rookie in years, Nikita Mazepin, is suddenly beloved by fans, but not for any specific admirable qualities.

Entering the 2021 season, Formula 1 had found itself a new most hated driver, one who hadn’t even yet competed in a race.

Rookie Nikita Mazepin signed with Haas to compete alongside fellow rookie and reigning Formula 2 champion Mick Schumacher, largely thanks to funding from his father Dmitry. Dmitry’s company, Uralkali, signed on to be the title sponsor of the sport’s lone American team.

But the disdain toward Mazepin went beyond the usual “daddy’s money” stuff we hear whenever a driver comes into the sport with money, a la Lance Stroll or Nicholas Latifi.

Mazepin’s past contains a litany of incidents from both on the track and off the track, and there have never really been any serious consequences.

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It was last December when the name Nikita Mazepin became a household name in Formula 1, when a video of him groping a woman in a car was uploaded to his Instagram story, prompting the start of the #WeSayNoToMazepin campaign in which fans called for Haas to cut ties with him and his dad.

Many even called out Formula 1 for their lack of action on the matter, given the whole #WeRaceAsOne campaign and their alleged interest in human rights and equality. Of course, with Haas being in the situation they are in as far as performance and funding, they couldn’t afford to lose access to Dmitry’s deep pockets, and there was never any punishment for Mazepin, at least that was made publicly known.

As was inevitable, the 22-year-old Russian was not fired, and he made his Formula 1 debut at the end of last month in the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.

And suddenly the fans who hated the idea of him competing love the fact that he is here.

But there’s a catch — of course there’s a catch. There couldn’t not be a catch.

This has nothing to do with changing any sort of narrative. In fact, it reiterates about every narrative there has ever been about Mazepin in Formula 1.

It has everything to do with the entertainment provided to the critics by Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut, which was an absolute disaster.

At the 15-turn, 3.363-mile (5.412-kilometer) road course in Sakhir, Bahrain, Mazepin spun out a total of five times before the 56-lap race itself: once in preseason testing, twice in practice for the season opener and twice in the first of three rounds of qualifying for the race, in which he came nowhere near cracking the top 19 and qualified in 20th (last) place.

He even riled up several others after violating the “gentlemen’s agreement” just before he spun for the second time in qualifying.

Spin number six came just two turns into the event itself, and he crashed on his own.

Sky Sports F1 commentator David Croft, who referenced the “Mazespin” joke after Mazepin’s first spin in qualifying, later joked about “suspected crashing out problems” for the rookie. Fellow commentator Martin Brundle exclaimed that “there’s absolutely no point in flying off the road when you’re in the slowest car on the grid!”

And most Formula 1 fans are absolutely loving the show.

Several who called for him to be fired have commented on various Haas Twitter posts thanking them for not firing Mazepin, due to the enjoyment they are getting from watching him struggle.

Quite an ironic 180-degree turn — one that serves the same purpose as a 360.

Right or wrong, this does actually do Mazepin some good — and there’s no catch to that.

It puts it on him to change that narrative on the track. No matter what he does off the track, there will always be those who question him for his past, but on the track, only he can right that ship, and the sooner, the better.

How will Mazepin perform in career Formula 1 start number two? This Sunday’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET.