The Russian driver attacks the American team.
Nikita Mazepin has broken his silence for the first time since it was announced last Saturday that his contract with the Haas team for 2022 had been terminated. The Russian driver has openly criticized the team and has confessed that he found out about his dismissal from the press release.
Although Mazepin could have entered the 2022 Formula 1 season despite the war between Ukraine and Russia, as long as he accepted the FIA’s principles of peace and neutrality and raced under a neutral flag, Haas decided to unilaterally break his contract.
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In a press conference from Moscow, the Russian driver has admitted that, with the aim of continuing in F1, he would have accepted these terms, although Haas never thought of his continuity.
”I was prepared to accept it and consider myself neutral. When (the FIA) dictated that a letter should be signed, I did not pay attention to it because my contract was already broken ”, Mazepin commented according to Sky Sports F1, which does not rule out taking legal action against Haas.
“I don’t want to be in a team that doesn’t want me. Formula 1 is a dangerous sport and you have to trust your team. It is a security issue and I can say that I do not trust them”, she has commented.
“It’s good to keep all (legal) options open. There is no legal reason why a team can break my contract. I am very disappointed with how things were done. They told me that if the FIA allowed me to compete and I agreed to their rules, I would not be taken out of my seat”, he explains.
“I have not heard from the team since this happened, I found out that he was fired from the press release,” he adds.
”I have lost my dream”
A disappointed Mazepin assured that it does not close the chapter of F1 and therefore “I will be ready to compete and accept an opportunity if it comes”. The 23-year-old adds: “I have lost the dream that I have worked for 18 years. I didn’t imagine losing my seat so soon.”
Only a few hours after Mazepin’s statements came to light, both Nikita and his father, Dmitry, appeared on a list where the name of the Russian oligarchs sanctioned by the European Union can be seen. As evidence, the (extinct) link between Mazepin’s parent company, Uralkali, and Haas F1 is cited.
Just before the start of F1 testing in Bahrain, the team announced that Kevin Magnussen will race from 2022 in place of Mazepin.