After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, dark clouds have hung over the garage of F1 team Haas in recent days.
With the large fertilizer company Uralkali as main sponsor, the race stable ran on the Russian rubles of Dmitry Mazepin last year. It should therefore come as no surprise that son Nikita was given a seat with the American team in 2021.
After a disappointing debut season in which Mazepin mainly stood out due to crashes and flip-flops, the Russian seemed to be allowed to take place in the Haas car again this year. Although father Dmitry’s close ties to Vladimir Putin now put a stop to that.
The F1 team announced today that it is ending the partnership with both Uralkali and Nikita Mazepin herself.
“Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Haas wishes a speedy and peaceful end to the conflict,” it said in a statement.
So a minor end for Mazepin, who will mainly be remembered in Formula 1 as a chunky pilot…
Following the decision, a reaction from Mazepin himself was not long in coming:
“While I understand the difficulties, the decision of the International Motorsport Federation (FIA) and my willingness to accept the proposed conditions (to condemn the war in writing) completely ignored,” says Mazepin.
“There was no procedure followed in this unilateral move. My eternal thanks go to those who have tried to understand this. I cherish my time in Formula 1 and sincerely hope that we can all be together again in better times. In the days to come I’ll have more to say.”
