‘Mazespin’ prank to be laughed off once he’s ‘older and wiser’

Guenther Steiner has said his ‘Mazespin’ prank on Nikita Mazepin will be a “good memory” for him once the driver is “older and wiser”.

The Russian rookie was given the ‘Mazespin’ moniker by a wide section of Formula 1 fans when he was involved in a series of spins and crashes in the early part of the season, and his team boss decided to give him a “little present” to enshrine the nickname.

A video was posted onlineof Steiner handing his driver a box containing a spinning top and when he declared it was the ‘Mazespin’, the driver himself laughed and said “it’s here” while jokingly pointing at himself.

But further down the line, the team boss thinksMazepinwill hold on to the ‘gift’ he was given in his rookie year.

Special delivery for Nikita Mazespin#F1pic.twitter.com/pXH8mM99hz

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1)June 27, 2021

“I would hope so,” Steiner said with a laugh on aHaas fans’ Q&Awhen asked if Mazepin still had the spinning top.

“I mean, how could you give something like this away when you got it from me?

“No, without joking, I don’t know…but I think he will keep it because it will be a good memory for him when he gets older and wiser.”

TheHaasteam principal covered a wide range of topics during the question-and-answer video, and admitted fans would be underwhelmed to hear what car he drives when he is away from the Formula 1 circus – not exactly the flashy supercar you might expect.

“Wow, now comes a big disappointment for you guys – a 12-year-old Toyota Tundra,” he said. “But when in Rome, behave like a Roman, you know? In North Carolina, that is what you drive.

“I’m there not a lot, so I couldn’t enjoy a really nice car because I’m just not around enough. So I just take something practical and I really love my Toyota Tundra. I love it.”