Mazepin: “Coming to the Dubai 24 Hours racing tests and immediately winning qualifying is something to be proud of”

Former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin said he could be proud of his victory in qualifying for the Dubai 24 Hours.

— It’s hard to say that the ice has broken; I still go to the races in Dubai. As for progress, it’s difficult for me to answer the question in a positive tone; it’s about something slightly different – it’s developing oneself as a multidisciplinary athlete in motorsport: a person who can compete in sprint and stayer races. For me, the event was interesting for two reasons: first, I have never had the opportunity to compete at the 24 Hours in Dubai, the philosophy of the race is very different, although I didn’t manage to cover the entire distance, we passed the first run-in, then more, to the podium or even victory. Secondly, this is a project of my friends – Evgeny Kireev and Roma Rusinov. They enthusiastically talked about the project as an idea two years ago. “It’s very nice that the idea turned into something tangible and was implemented successfully: to come to the racing tests with a simple setup and team and immediately win qualification is something to be proud of; on this foundation it is very easy to create a basis for improving results in the future,” said Mazepin “Soviet sport”.

In the race in Dubai, Mazepin competed in the new Russian supercar Rossa LM GT.