Mazepin frustrated by chassis damage that ruled him out of FP2 in Qatar

Haas driver Nikita Mazepin has been ruled out of Free Practice 2 for the Qatar Grand Prix, with his team forced to replace his VF-21 chassis following the opening session at the Losail International Circuit.

Mazepin ended up 20th and last in Free Practice 1, the rookie spotted having several off-track moments during the session, as he and his fellow drivers got up to speed with the track at Losail – a venue never raced at in F1 before, although Mazepin and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez have competed here in junior categories.

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But Mazepin will be forced to sit on the sidelines for the more representative late afternoon FP2 session, as Haas kit him out with a new VF-21 chassis, with the team revealing the change on social media – having said earlier that he’d suffered “substantial floor damage caused out on track” in FP1.

Team mate Mick Schumacher, meanwhile, ended up P18 in FP1, despite having the most significant off-track moment of anyone in the session, when the young German left the circuit at Turn 7, running through the gravel before regaining the track with seemingly no harm done.