Leader of ‘Canceled Athletes’ Nikita Mazepin Counts the Days to F1 Return

The Haas team brutally sacked Nikita Mazepin soon after the shocking news came out that Russia had invaded neighboring Ukraine. The 24-year-old has since been on the sidelines and has had few opportunities to pursue his dreams. However, the Russian driver is determined to fight his way back and is also keen to be an advocate for all “canceled athletes” like himself.

Mazepin has been fighting the sanctions of the UK government. He is keen to overturn the British sanctions with the hope of returning to the grid as soon as possible. However, it is not just the British sanctions that Mazepin has been fighting.

The former Haas driver is also fighting the sanctions of the EU and Canada. Despite all the hardships he’s facing, Mazepin is not ready to forego his desire to return to the F1 grid. He recently put up a post on Instagram to explain how he has been working incredibly hard to return to the grid.

Nikita Mazepin keen to be an advocate for all “canceled athletes“

Taking to Instagram a few days ago, Nikita Mazepin explained how he has been working extremely hard to remain in shape and fight for all the “canceled athletes” like him. The Russian believes it is unfair that he has not been able to pursue his dreams because of the sanctions placed on him.

“It’s been nearly 600 days since my last trip to Europe for F1 tests in Barcelona. For now, Europe remains closed to me,” he explained. After stating the same, Mazepin added that despite all these hardships, it has not stopped him from working hard with the hope that he will once again get an opportunity to pursue his dreams.

 

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After stating the same, the 24-year-old concluded by adding, “I won’t stop working on behalf of all canceled athletes either, including myself.” While Mazepin is still keen on returning to F1, he has been competing in other forms of motorsports for the moment.

Mazepin shared details of the other motorsports he has competed in

At the beginning of this year, Nikita Mazepin gave an interview where he shared the details of the other forms of motorsports he has been competing in following his F1 sacking. In an interview with Tass, the 24-year-old said that he did the Silky Way Rally, a race which he won.

However, he made it clear that he does not see himself as a rally driver and is keen to return to F1. As quoted by si.com, the Russian added, “There is the desire, of course, to continue to compete in motorsport. My goal is to return to Formula 1 so that is the direction I will work in“.

However, it will not only be the sanctions that Mazepin will have to fight against, as he will also need to persuade the teams to give him another opportunity in F1. Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, who called for the sacking of the Russian, recently revealed in an interview that he would make the same decision if such a situation were to happen again.