Nikita Mazepin questions the values of F1 in the Haas and Uralkali affair
After the eviction of Uralkali, tension is running high between the Haas team and their former sponsor. Nikita Mazepin, who was also sidelined by Haas, believes that the values of Formula 1 should be highlighted.
Shortly before the official start of the season, Russian driver Nikita Mazepin was ousted from his team due to his nationality. In response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haas terminated its contract with Uralkali, a Russian company led by Nikita Mazepin’s father.
Quickly, Uralkali demanded compensation from the American team, specifically a refund of the funds invested for the 2022 season, claiming that Haas did not fulfill its part of the contract with Uralkali. To this, Haas responded that they would not refund the 12 million euros to Dmitry Mazepin’s company. In addition to this refusal, Haas is now demanding eight million euros in compensation from Uralkali for the loss of profits caused by this contract breach.
However, Nikita Mazepin doesn’t lose hope regarding a potential return to Formula 1. When questioned by CNN about his neutrality on the matter, the driver took the opportunity to highlight the values of F1.
« Everyone has the right to speak or not, and the FIA, the largest governing body in this sport, prohibits my access to the competition as long as I remain neutral, said Mazepin. » But I would say that the biggest problem here is that teams are able to keep sponsorship money without fulfilling the clauses of the contract. And they demand even more, even if they claim not to want money from Russia. So I’m not sure, but for me, the values of the sport should be reassessed after this, he affirmed.
Moreover, Nikita Mazepin explained that the situation in Ukraine was extremely difficult to observe and stressed the importance of neutrality.
« I have lived for 23 years in a very calm world. But in relation to my official position, I have often repeated that it is very important for me to remain neutral, because I am an athlete. And I think it is very important to have the right to be neutral. Even for that, I have created a foundation that will help athletes to remain neutral. », Nikita Mazepin revealed. A case where neither party intends to give up, which is likely to continue throughout the season.
