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F1 fans in hysterics as Nikita Mazepin's Haas replacement finishes fifth in first race
Formula 1 fans couldn't help but see the funny side after Kevin Magnussen, who stepped in as Russian driver Nikita Mazepin's Haas replacement earlier this month, finished fifth in the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday.Mazepin was dropped by Haas in light of Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine in February, having initially joined the team ahead of the 2021 season, though he never managed to finish higher than 14th all year.While they were a few surprises in Bahrain this afternoon, including the dramatic retirement of both Red Bulls cars, Magnussen's emphatic performance has probably already done enough to suggest that Haas made a smart decision.Fans flooded to social media after the race, displaying very little sympathy for the ousted Russian driver."Imagine being Mazepin and seeing Kevin finishing on P5 with "your" car. Whoops," one fan tweeted."I’d like to see Mazepin come 5th in the first race of the season," posted another.A third wrote: "Lol Magnussen got 5th in Mazepin's car," while a fourth said: "Ditch the Russian Mazepin and then you go get P5.
