Motorsports
Final end titles for Mazepin and Haas
Haas F1 announced the end of its collaboration with Nikita Mazepin and its main sponsor Uralkali in the wake of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine.
In the early hours of February 24, after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war on Ukraine, Haas F1, owned by American Carl Haas, removed all central decals from the VF-22 group, Russian oil company Uralkali.
Since then, Nikita Mazepin’s future in the team and in Formula 1 has been in doubt as Uralkali is owned by his father Dmitry Mazepin. He is one of Russia’s wealthiest businessmen with close ties to Putin. In fact, D. Mazepin was one of 37 people invited by the Russian President to the Kremlin on the day of the announcement of the invasion of Ukraine.
At the same time, although the FIA allowed Russians and Belarusians to compete in international motorsport – albeit with the federation’s neutral flag – Nikita Mazepin faced problems with his visa in countries where GPs were held, such as Australia and Great Britain.
As a result, Haas announced this morning (3/5), two weeks before the start of the new Formula 1 season, that the contract with Uralkali has been terminated, replacing Nikita Mazepin in the second cockpit of the team.
The group said in a statement: “The Haas F1 Team has decided to end sponsorship of the with immediate effect ural alkali and the contract of Nikita Mazepin. Like the rest of their community F1, “The group expresses its shock and sadness at the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a short and peaceful end to the conflict.”
Mazepin’s best result in F1 last year, in his first season, was 14th – despite having the least competitive car of the year. However, the Russian lost to his counterpart Mick Schumacher and came under criticism for the numerous accidents he caused over the year.
Doubts have been raised about Uralkali’s funding since the group’s dissolution, but reports suggest Carl Haas has secured the resources to continue, at least for the foreseeable future.
To replace Mazepin in the team, the names of Pietro Fitipaldi (who is the team’s third driver and is said to be preferred by team manager Ganther Steiner) and Antonio Giovinacci, who has taken on the role of Ferrari’s third driver, have been heard.
Sophia Jhon is a sports journalist and author. He has worked as a news editor for Sportish and is now a sport columnist for the same publication. Alberta’s professional interests lie largely in sports news, with an emphasis on English football. He has also written articles on other sporting topics.