The Russian driver will not compete this season with Haas.
Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will not participate in the 2022 Formula 1 season with the Haas team and his sponsors are leaving the team with immediate effect. Although his replacement has not yet been announced, the favorite is the Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi.
The decision was expected since, after the invasion of Ukraine by Russian troops more than a week ago, Haas decided to eliminate all reference to this country in his car, including the logos of Uralkali, the company owned by the father of Nikita Mazepin and main support of the 23-year-old Russian pilot.
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Mazepin had a contract for the 2022 season and last week he began his preparation in Barcelona for the new course that will not finally start. At the end of the tests, Haas announced that he would make a decision on the future of Mazepin this week, ahead of the start of the second round of tests, in just a few days, in Bahrain.
Russian assets have been frozen by the European Union and the United States after the application of important sanctions, which would make sponsorship payments to the team impossible, and in addition to this, the Haas team is American and the Mazepin are very close to the Putin government.
In short, the situation had all the necessary ingredients for Nikita to leave the team, which is what has finally happened. Beyond his specific situation, the British Motorsports Federation has announced that it will not allow Russian drivers to race, so at Silverstone he would have had to leave his seat.
“The Haas F1 Team has decided to end, with immediate effect, the association with Uralkali and the contract of driver Nikita Mazepin. Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wants a quick and peaceful end to the conflict”, the team has communicated
Fittipaldi, grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, is the favorite to accompany Mick Schumacher in 2022, forming a pair of illustrious surnames. The other driver who has sounded is Antonio Giovinazzi, a former Alfa Romeo driver who competes in Formula E this year, due to his close relationship with Haas (Ferrari partner), but it is difficult for him to compete with the money that Fittipaldi brings.
What holds Fittipaldi against, despite having been a Haas test driver for the past two years, is his lack of F1 racing experience. In the two races of 2020 he did not shine either, although he will also have to give him time so that he can acclimatize to F1 and the team.
