Nikita Mazepin Says That Russia Sanctions Are 'Cancel Culture'

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Nikita Mazepin, who lost his Formula 1 seat because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, has been speaking to the BBC about things, specifically sanctions levied by Europe against Mazepin and his dad, also as a result of the invasion. Unsurprisingly, Mazepin does not like the sanctions.

“I don’t agree with being in the sanctions,” Mazepin told the BBC for a TV program Thursday. “I’ve said previously that I intend to fight it, perhaps now is not the right time because if you look at the whole situation that’s happening in the general case, it’s cancel culture against my country. So that’s about the sanctions…”

Mazepin also clarified that despite reports of atrocities committed by Russian troops, he would not be weighing in on the matter, because he is afraid of making anyone mad.

“You know it very painful to watch that on many levels,” Mazepin said. “My feelings, they obviously changed as a human being and as a person who wants to live in a very peaceful world, but I will be honest with you, I see tremendous risks in saying anything at all about this case because I will never satisfy everyone and therefore I will keep myself publicly, publicly quiet.”

Mazepin is a 23-year-old human who should not be expected to speak articulately about basically anything, such is the verbal and mental capacity of most 23-year-old men, and Mazepin is like most 23-year-old men but also with a rich father, an especially dangerous mix. This suggests to me that the wisest course of action for him would be to simply shut the fuck up, though he apparently doesn’t agree, or he’s getting some very bad advice, or both.

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The line about cancel culture might even be funny if the stakes weren’t so serious. Mazepin has now gone from being a historically terrible Formula 1 driver to not being a Formula 1 driver to being just another nobody complaining about being canceled. I loathe to imagine what happens next.