Nikita Mazepin. /
world
Haas has broken his contract with Uralkali, the pilot’s father’s company, due to his relationship with Vladimir Putin Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of the legendary Emerson, will be his replacement
Vladimir Putin’s attack on Ukraine is having unexpected consequences around the world. The blockade that they are almost unanimously carrying out on companies related to the Kremlin tenant has had a direct consequence on the sporting future of Nikita Mazepin, the Russian driver for the Haas team.
The American team, after more than a week talking with their lawyers, has broken the sponsorship contract they had with Uralkali, a subsidiary company of the petrochemical giant Uralchem whose owner is Dmitry Mazepin. Nikita’s father is one of the great Russian oligarchs, a good personal friend of Putin (weeks before the attack on Ukraine they had held a meeting) and one of the richest people in the country. Haas had already separated Mazepin from the last day of testing in Montmeló, and from the beginning the discomfort was clear to leave him in his seat.
They have been days of much debate in which it even seemed that Mazepin could save the position. The lukewarm decision of the FIA to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers to compete in their championships under a neutral flag, in the image of what the IOC has been doing for years, left the door open for Mick Schumacher’s teammate to continue racing. Even the FIA had decided to make these pilots sign a declaration of good intentions to force them not to publicly support the Russian invasion. However, the pressure and the obvious inconsistency of an American team being financially supported by a Russian company in this context made it mandatory to break Uralkali’s contract and, with it, Mazepin’s.
“The Haas F1 Team has decided to terminate, with immediate effect, the Uralkali main sponsorship deal and Nikita Mazepin’s driver contract. Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a quick and peaceful end to the conflict.”
The statement confirming the news has come just a few days before the pre-season tests in Bahrain, where Pietro Fittipaldi will ride. The grandson of the legendary two-time world champion Emerson Fittipaldi has already driven for Haas in the last two races of 2020, replacing Romain Grosjean due to his serious accident precisely in Bahrain. This time he will be a pilot for all purposes to get on the VF22 both in the last pre-season training sessions and in the rest of the campaign.
Another issue is Haas’ financial position. Uralkali was not only his main sponsor, but also his main financial supporter. They will have to look for another big deal on the run or try to hang on with what they have left in cash, which, after the poor results of 2021, is not much.
