It became known on Wednesday that former F1 pilot Nikita Mazepin, as well as his father, have been included in the list of persons subject to European Union sanctions. The athlete admits that he was surprised by the dismissal from the team, while the company “Uralkali” will try to recover the money he had already paid to the “Haas” team.
Today, the Haas team has not only completely severed ties with Russia, but has also announced that its pilot in the F1 season of 2022 will be Mazepin instead of Mazepin. Although the termination of the contract with Mazepin fans was not a surprise, the athlete himself expressed outrage at what happened.
“I was just fired…”
“This has been an extremely painful time,” Nikita Mazepin told a news conference on Wednesday. “The world is no longer what it was two weeks ago. Everything has changed and I have lost the dream of working for 18 years. My goal and plan was to continue to start in neutral. This decision was originally made by the FIA, and I was ready to accept it without any problems. However, the night before my contract was terminated, an additional letter was attached to the FIA decision. While we were looking at it, because there were many extra points in it, I received the news the next morning that my contract had been terminated. I didn’t even have time to say yes, I was just fired. I found out about it at the same time as it became known to the press. There was no legal basis to terminate the contract. The FIA allowed me to start in neutral and I was hoping to drive. ”
The Mazepin family is subject to EU sanctions
Mazepin admitted that he retains the opportunity to explain the truth in court, but it is clear that he will not regain his position as a racing pilot in this way. Also, after his press conference, the updated list of Russian citizens subject to EU sanctions was published, which includes both him and his father, Dmitry Mazepin, the owner of Uralkali. Nikita is on this list only because of his father’s relationship with Vladimir Putin.
Mazepin’s father – Putin’s immediate circle
On February 24, shortly before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Dmitry Mazepin met with Putin, along with 35 others, to discuss the financial implications of the war. The explanation of the sanctions states that “Dmitry Mazepin is involved in economic sectors that are a significant source of income for the government of the Russian Federation, which is responsible for the annexation of Crimea and the destabilization of Ukraine.” This, in turn, shows that Dmitry Mazepin is one of the closest people to the Russian president.
Uralkali had already given money for this year
The company “Uralkali” will still try to recover the money from the “Haas” team, which it, as the main sponsor, has paid for 2022. According to the company, most of the money that was planned to be transferred to the American unit this year has been paid.
