Ex-F1 Driver Nikita Mazepin Reportedly Plans To Become A 'Hybrid-Athlete' By Taking Up Boxing

If you're a Formula 1 fan, you may recall the name Nikita Mazepin.

In fact, just reading that, you're probably like, "Oh yeah. What the hell happened to that guy?"

Well, now we know, and it turns out he's kicking the tires on a completely different sport to turn himself into a "hybrid athlete."

But first, if you aren't familiar with Mazepin, he drove for Haas during the 2021 season and was an extremely controversial driver the entire time he was in F1 for a multitude of reasons.

For starters, his dad is a Russian billionaire who essentially bought his spot on the grid, with Haas willing to go along with it to keep the team financially afloat, and it worked.

But many felt Mazepin was not an F1-caliber driver. Sure, he won some races in F2, but his on-track antics in that series coupled with his seeming inability to not spin out makes it hard to argue that he wasn't in over his head.

I mean, there are plenty of "Mazespin" compilations on YouTube that just show him spinning out non-stop.

Ahead of the 2022 season, Russia invaded Ukraine and because of all the international sanctions that came down, the team parted ways with Mazepin, which was a great move on several levels.

Since then, Mazepin has competed in the Asian Le Mans Series, but according to Mirror, he has ambitions beyond motorsports, something he hinted at by changing his social media bio to "hybrid athlete."

"This year, I plan to participate in five competitions in different sports," Mazepin told Russian outlet Tass. "The boxing match will take place in the fall of 2025 and I hope everything will go well." 

Boxing, huh? No opponent was named, but given the aggressive way Mazepin raced in F2, I'm sure a few of those guys would volunteer.

Although, I could see a racing driver being a good boxer, mainly because both sports require quick reactions and reflexes. Sure, Mazepin's F1 stint wasn't great, but he was winning races one step below it.

We'll see how the boxing and whatever other sporting endeavors he has in mind work for him.