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“Nikita Mazepin did not grasp how untenable the situation had become”: Haas F1 team reveal their future plans after parting ways with Mazepin and Uralkali

Somin Bhattacharjee
Published

Nikita Mazepin will have to accept this condition before guaranteeing his stay in Formula 1 with Haas for the 2022 season.

Haas F1 team insist that they’ll be fine without Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali, and will announce their new driver next week. 

The start of the 2022 season was going to be tough for all teams owing to the regulation changes. However for Haas, the problems are bigger and more widespread.

After Russia launched offensive by invading Ukraine two weeks ago, Haas wasted no time in removing all Uralkali (a Russian company) branding from their team garages and cars. The Fertilizer company owned by Dimitri Mazepin was their title sponsor since 2021.

A week later, Haas officially announced that they had parted ways with Uralkali, and also Dimitri Mazepin’s son Nikita. Nikita Mazepin had a very underwhelming debut season in 2021, finishing 21st in the standings behind Robert Kubica, who only took part in two races.

Mazepin’s departure from the team didn’t surprise many. Most of the F1 community felt that his presence only came with the amount of money Uralkali brought in. With the company and their money gone, Mazepin’s talent wasn’t enough to keep him in F1.

Team owner Gene Haas assured fans that they have enough money to comfortably continue with their F1 journey. In an interview with the Associated Press, he shed light on the team’s further plan of action.

“There was a lot of intense criticism about the Ukrainian invasion and it was just getting overwhelming,” said Haas. We can’t deal with all that, our other sponsors can’t deal with all that.”

Also read: Max Verstappen reveals the messages he exchanged with Michael Masi following his sacking

Haas have several candidates to choose from to replace Nikita Mazepin

One of the biggest questions following Mazepin’s departure was about his replacement. Team principal Guenther Steiner insisted that they would turn to reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi, as he knew the car well.

The likes of Antonio Giovinazzi and Kevin Magnussen have also been liked to the seat. Haas went on to say that they haven’t come to a decision yet, but are in course to do so.

“We’re in the process of looking at several candidates, we’ll see who is available and what we have to deal with, but we’ll have somebody by Wednesday,” he said. “I think we’d obviously like to get someone with a bit more actual experience. We just have to see what’s available.”

The American team owner went on to dismiss rumors about his team becoming ‘Russian’ since Uralkali’s onboarding. The 69-year old is adamant that their primary identity remained American, even though they used Uralkali’s branding.

“Haas has always been the major, primary sponsor, I don’t know why people said it became a Russian team. Haas Automation was always on the car,” he continued.

“We’re good. We’re fine. We’d like more money, of course, but we’re fine,” he added. “This just gives us a bigger negative number.”

Also read: Mercedes is struggling with little rearrangements in the power unit ahead of the 2022 season

About the author

Somin Bhattacharjee

Somin Bhattacharjee

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Formula 1 Editor Somin Bhattacharjee fell for the sport as well as Fernando Alonso on the same day — during the Spaniard’s thrilling victory at the German GP in 2010. Over the years, the passion magnified manyfold, and metamorphosed into a writing career in 2021. Though holding a bachelor's degree in marketing, Somin discovered his true calling in writing. He has penned over 2,700 articles for TheSportsRush, presenting a diverse range — news reports, opinions, and exclusives. A true Tiffosi, Somin never gives up on a chance to defend the Ferrari boys as a fan. As a sports writer though, he remains objective to the core and relishes opportunities to follow and engage in dissecting the action during races. That’s where the real thrill lies for him. Beyond the racetrack, Somin plays different sports including soccer. He enjoys exploring other sporting events and proudly supports Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.

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