Formula 1 cars aren’t known for being easy to drive. Being heavily dependent on aerodynamic grip, the cars have to be driven fast to work at all, and drivers must continually maintain laptimes in a tight window in order to keep their tires operating at ideal temperatures. On top of that, the steering wheel of an F1 car bristles with controls for everything from brake bias to engine modes and differential settings. Trying to keep the car set up just right while lapping at racing speeds is a lot to deal with, and at Monaco it proved to be altogether too much for one Nikita Mazepin.
The incident in question occurred on lap 60 of the Monaco Grand Prix, in which the Haas pitwall asked the driver to change a setting on the car. “Driver default, Charlie-85, when you can,” requested Mazepin’s race engineer over the radio. After Mazepin replied that he could not comply, the engineers again requested the change, spelling out the precise dial positions required on the steering wheel. Upon Mazepin requesting clarification of the settings required, the engineers reiterated the numbers with more than a hint of tension. This leads Mazepin to snap back, shouting “I cannot do it, man, you are having a f*****g laugh, I am in Monaco!”