Sacked Mazepins asks for repayment of the sponsorship they gave them to Haas; Uralkali will set a foundation for the Russian athletes.
The conflict between Russia and Ukraine turned out to be damaging for Nikita Mazepin’s F1 career. The Russian race driver was sacked after Haas also decided to drop the sponsorship by Uralkali, which Mazepin’s father, Dmitry Mazepin, owns.
The Russian company, in response, have asked for a refund from the F1 team. The statement released by Uralkali mentions that their termination from the Haas F1 team was unreasonable. Moreover, they insisted that it goes against the spirit of sports.
TEAM STATEMENT #HaasF1 pic.twitter.com/5aEXLzYtmV
— Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) March 5, 2022
Therefore, Uralkali has decided to resort to its right to legal proceedings and seek damages from Haas. They further elaborated that the amount obtained from Haas will set up a foundation for athletes affected by the political instability.
“The Company views the Team’s decision as unreasonable and believes that sports should always be free of politics and pressure from external factors,” read Uralkali’s statement.
“Given the above, Uralkali intends to protect its interests in line with applicable legal procedures and reserves its rights to initiate judicial proceedings, claim damages and seek repayment of the significant amounts Uralkali had paid for the 2022 Formula 1 season.”
Also read: Mercedes boss Toto Wolff offers support to Mazepin after the Russian’s contract termination by Haas
Haas money will help Russian para-athletes first, claims Nikita Mazepin
The ousted driver Mazepin confirmed that the refunded money would support the affected Russian athletes. He also states that the Russian para-athletes will be the first ones to be supported.
Moreover, they would also help find jobs, legal aid and psychological assistance under such difficult times. Before the conflict against Russia, it was thought that Uralkali had been a significant contributor to Haas’ survival.
But now, Haas claims that they have sizeable finances to survive without Uralkali’s money. Therefore, Mazepins’ position in the American team was never indispensable.
Who will replace Nikita Mazepin?
After Haas released the sacking of Mazepin, they also confirmed that Pietro Fittipaldi would be replacing the former for the Bahrain testing. However, the seat for the remainder of the F1 season is still undecided.
There are a few candidates who are vying for the job. While Fittipaldi is among the leading contestants, Antonio Giovinazzi and Nico Hulkenberg are also heavily linked.
Also read: Haas F1 team reveal their future plans after parting ways with Mazepin and Uralkali
