Overblown reaction to Russian racer Nikita Mazepin's 'groping video' only serves to trivialize serious cases of sex abuse

Russian motor racing star Nikita Mazepin’s social media video nasty was witless and irresponsible, but applying inflated rhetoric and declaring him a sexual predator merely diminishes incidents of serious abuse.

Mazepin’s Formula One career will be over before it’s even got off the starting grid, should the baying mobs on social media get their way.

Signed to drive for American team Haas next season, the 21-year-old is fending off brickbats after a video posted to his Instagram account featured him briefly grabbing at the chest of a female friend who was sitting behind him in the back of a moving car.

A Change.org petition has already sprung up to call on motor racing's governing bodies to deprive the driver of his seat, and rapidly surpassed its intial target of 25,000 signatures. 

"He has a history of alleged sexually predatory behavior against women, has been shown to be aggressive on the track, and has now sexually assaulted an unknown woman and uploaded it to his social media for everyone to see," the petition's initiators wrote. 

That is very much in keeping with tone of conversation that has spilled forth since the promptly-deleted clip emerged, which would lead anyone to believe that Mazepin was guilty of the most heinous of crimes.

Condemning their newly-signed star, Haas labelled the clip “abhorrent” while other outraged observers branded the young driver “a pig” and “disgusting” – among a multitude of similar slurs.

Mazepin duly apologized, calling his behavior “inappropriate” and expressing his regret that the offending clip was shared on social media.

Regardless of whether the footage was shared online or not, it was idiotic and ill-conceived, even if later explanations from the female party described it as a "jokey" interaction between friends.

But in describing his actions as “inappropriate”, Mazepin has found a far more fitting adjective than those used by most of the mob berating him. 

This being 2020 – when unbridled cancel culture continues to thrive – it’s more important than ever to keep things in some kind of perspective.

The clip does not make Mazepin the “sex predator” so many people have suggested him to be.

Hyperbolized adjectives slung at the racer serve no purpose except to devalue and trivialize actual incidents of sexual crime by suggesting that Mazepin's actions are somehow on the same level.  

If people apply such language with reckless abandon and respond with so much outrage over an incident like this, where do we go from here when describing rapists and grevious cases of sexual abuse?

Ironically, in an age of welcome developments when women’s voices are increasingly heard in sexual assault cases, in this instance the words of the woman reportedly seen in the clip – model Andrea D’Ival – have been summarily dismissed.

She has posted on Instagram that she herself had shared the clip “as a silly way of joking between us.”

“I can give you my word he's a really good person and he would never do anything to hurt or humiliate me,” the young model added.

That lack of offence or victim status just doesn’t sit well with some people, though. There have been suggestions that D’Ival has been paid off to keep quiet, or even that her message was a somehow a coded cry for help.

If the words don’t fit the narrative of Mazepin being a dangerous sexual reprobate, then supposedly we should just ignore them. 

In truth, the daggers were already out for Mazepin.

The blond-haired son of a Russian billionaire, he has heard the familiar refrain that his motor racing path was paved by his father’s checkbook – something given added credence by reports that Mazepin Sr is expected to be a sponsor at new team Haas next season.  

Mazepin has done himself few favors with petulant behavior on the track – including once punching a teenage racing rival – and other misdemeanors off it down the years.

He was accused of homophobia for making a "coming out" comment in an Instagram Live chat held by fellow driver George Russell, and supposedly defended fans spewing abuse at supporters of a rival.

He also made a tasteless attempt at a joke by wishing the coronavirus a "happy birthday" earlier this year, and has been involved in dubious social media interactions with female fans.  

Those occasions – as now – drew overwrought responses to what would be better be described as crass comments emanating from a somewhat immature mind.

Mazepin does seem like a hard person to feel sorry for, coming across as the brattish son of a Russian billionaire, who will soon be lining up for a debut season in a an F1 car – the dream of boys the world over.

Nor can his fondling be dismissed with a tut-tut of “boys will be boys” – his actions were demeaning, and not the kind of humor to be found remotely amusing, shared online or otherwise. 

But equally, Mazepin’s behavior does not warrant being conflated with far more heinous sexual crimes, which is what is happening through the rhetoric being bandied around with a clear lack of consideration. 

Doing that, even by today’s standards, is scraping the barrel of disproportionate outrage, and does a disservice to the people who have truly suffered serious sexual abuse.   

By Liam Tyler