Nikita Mazepin took a knee for the first time ahead of the most recent Formula 1 race in Spain, but not for the same reason as the other drivers.
Ever since the start of the 2020 season, Formula 1 drivers have had the option to take a knee ahead of each race in support of a worldwide push for equality and the #WeRaceAsOne campaign.
All drivers participate in the ritual, though not all choose take a knee. They are not required to do so, and the kneeling does not take place during the national anthem like we have seen across several other sports. Some fans like it, others don’t; it’s just one of those things that not everybody can agree on.
One driver who had not taken a knee ahead of the season’s first three races was Haas rookie Nikita Mazepin.
But he opted to do so for the first time ahead of the Spanish Grand Prix at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
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The 22-year-old Russian, of course, has been highly scrutinized for just about everything since signing his deal with Haas for the 2021 season, and for many, many good reasons.
He has never been the best as far as his character away from the track is concerned, and that was never more evident than it was this past offseason leading up to his Formula 1 debut. Additionally, his driving has left quite a bit to be desired in his rookie year thus far, something that many expected given the fact that the primary reason why he is where he is is his billionaire father’s money.
But at some point, you have to give him credit where credit is due, as hard as it may be to say anything nice about him.
He easily could have gone with the flow and just said he was kneeling to kneel with the others who do it regularly in an effort to not draw attention to himself.
But in this day and age, one way or another, he was obviously always going to garner attention for kneeling after previously not doing so.
However, his reason for doing so didn’t have anything to do with the others, nor did it have to do with caving in to any sort of peer pressure to do something that he didn’t feel comfortable doing to “fit in”, for lack of a better phrase, or simply to gain publicity.
He took a knee as a sign of respect for the veterans who fought, including those who lost their lives fighting, against Nazi Germany. The race was contested on Sunday, May 9, which is when Russians celebrate Victory Day to commemorate the surrender of the Greater German Reich.
This day marked the 76th anniversary of that event, and it was particularly special to him because of the fact that he had family members who were a part of that fight.
Here is what Mazepin had to say to Match TV about the matter.
"“I decided to kneel to show respect to those veterans and people who lost their lives 76 years ago in the war. This holiday is quite important. My family – my grandparents – took part in the war. Yesterday I saw the statistics saying that it is a holiday that is even more important to Russians than New Year.”"
He also wore the Ribbon of St. George, which is a Russian military symbol, on his “WeRaceAsOne” t-shirt during the ritual to further symbolize why he knelt.
So with that having been said, don’t expect to see Mazepin kneeling again for Sunday’s Monaco Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco.