Haas driver Nikita Mazepin is keen to make the most of his opportunity in Formula 1, which is why he's set himself the goal of beating teammate Mick Schumacher in 2021. Beating Schumacher, who has been known to struggle in his rookie seasons across classes, would vindicate Haas' decision to sign the Russian. Mazepin is aware that he will not be granted the luxury of time, meaning he must hit the ground running. "Obviously, being a racing driver, my goal and everyone’s goal is to perform at the highest possible level but it doesn’t always go your way, unfortunately,” Mazepin told F1news.ru. “For me, perhaps the reason why results came a little bit later is that throughout my career I haven’t quite managed to put everything together – meaning my team, myself and my set up – to be able to deliver straight away. I needed more time. “Going into F1 I hope that this will change.” Although the Russian has yet to make his debut for the American team, he's made headlines due to his behaviour off the track. Regardless, Mazepin will lineup for Haas when the season begins on March 28 in Bahrain, and he's confident he can make his mark for the team, which includes beating his teammate. "You know when you get into F1 there is almost one shot at it, I believe, and it has never been a consideration of how that would be for me,” Mazepin added. “I had this opportunity to come up. We decided to take it on and, regardless of what [Haas team boss] Guenther [Steiner] has said, I would say that my job is to outperform my teammate, as always, and do the best I can. “So the pressure is still there on my shoulders. I believe I am ready for F1 and I want to show it to the team first of all.”
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