Russian racing driver Nikita Mazepin has won qualification for the first race of his return to international motorsport at the Spa circuit this weekend.
The 26-year-old driver recorded the fastest lap time of the session while competing for team Motopark in a Mercedes AMG GT3 sports car.
Russian sports news portal Championat reported that Mazepin secured pole position for the opening race during the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy round.
The event represents the driver's first international competitive appearance since the start of 2025. The championship field also features another former Formula 1 driver, Christian Klien, who is racing in the same series.
Championship Structure and Venue
The Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy is an amateur sports car championship organized in Germany. Founded to provide a competitive platform for privateer drivers and independent racing teams, the series hosts events for grand touring vehicles, touring cars, and modified sports cars divided into distinct performance categories.
The stage takes place at Spa, short for the historic Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps located in the Ardennes region of eastern Belgium. The circuit is celebrated for its fast, flowing layout and dramatic elevation shifts, making it a staple venue for European sports car racing.
Mazepin is entering the weekend with Motopark, a German racing outfit based in Oschersleben. The team operates across European junior single-seater categories and GT sports car series. For the Spa event, Motopark fielded Mazepin in a Mercedes AMG GT3, a customer sports car engineered by Mercedes-AMG for international GT competition.
Klien and Mazepin F1 Backgrounds
The presence of Christian Klien alongside Mazepin brings additional Formula 1 experience to the Spezial Tourenwagen Trophy grid. Klien, an Austrian driver, spent several seasons competing in Grand Prix racing during the 2000s, driving for teams including Jaguar Racing and Red Bull Racing before shifting to sports car endurance racing.
Mazepin made his own step up to Formula 1 during the 2021 season. He spent that year competing for Haas F1 Team, an American organization based in Kannapolis, North Carolina, contesting the full World Championship calendar with the team.
Rallying and Endurance Racing Resume
After concluding his spell in Formula 1, Mazepin transitioned into cross-country rallies and endurance sports car events. In 2022, he entered and won the Silk Way Rally, a demanding off-road marathon raid staged across Russia.
He subsequently moved into circuit endurance competition by racing in the Asian Le Mans Series. Organized by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the governing body behind the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Asian series features prototype cars and GT vehicles competing at circuits in Asia and the Middle East.
Mazepin's last international appearance prior to the Spa weekend came in early 2025 at the 24 Hours of Dubai. Held annually at the Dubai Autodrome in the United Arab Emirates, the 24-hour race served as his debut in GT category racing, establishing the baseline for his competitive return to the track in Belgium.
