formula 1
Haas takes action: separation from Schumacher’s Russian teammate and main sponsor
Mick Schumacher needs a new teammate: Haas separates from Mazepin
© Lars Baron / Getty Images
So now it’s official: Formula 1 team Haas is firing driver Nikita Mazepin. That’s not all, you also separate from a sponsor.
The Formula 1 team Haas parted ways with immediate effect from Mick Schumacher’s Russian stable rival Nikita Mazepin and the Russian main sponsor Uralkali. This was announced by the US racing team on Saturday. “Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a quick and peaceful end to the conflict,” the statement said.
Haas has not yet named a new driver, but the American-Brazilian reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi is said to replace Mazepin from Moscow. Like Schumacher, Mazepin contested his first Formula 1 season in 2021.
Formula 1: Mazepin’s future at Haas has been up in the air for days
Haas team boss Günther Steiner left open the future of Mazepin as a driver and lender Uralkali as lender last week after the Russian attack on Ukraine. Nikita Mazepin’s father Dmitri is a co-owner of the Russian mining company.
His son should have started in Formula 1 this season only as a neutral athlete under the “Fia flag”. In addition, the 23-year-old should have signed a code of conduct that documents, among other things, a clear distancing from Russia’s actions.
Formula 1 had previously canceled the Russian Grand Prix this year. In addition, the location was completely removed from the racing calendar. The first Grand Prix of 2022 will take place in Bahrain on March 20th.