“We came up with this livery already last year”- Haas denies using the Russian flag colours on livery because of Nikita Mazepin.
Social media showed its best side when an all American team adopted the Russsian flag-inspired colours on its livery. The cold war probably turned into a warm romance.
Alas, it didn’t have a sickle and a hammer with a red shade, or else Communism, in probably the most expensive sport, would have been ironical.
Moreover, the thought of Nikita Mazepin and his money not being an influence in the selection of the livery colour is too good to ignore, considering that it probably won’t fall in compliance with the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ban on Russian athletes.
In February, the Russian Automobile Federation confirmed that this would extend to the FIA’s world championships, meaning Mazepin cannot race under the Russian flag this year.
With a day full of memes, Haas finally explained that it is not the case. Guenther Steiner revealed, “No, we didn’t circumvent anything. We came up with this livery already last year before all of this came out from WADA about the Russian flag.”
“Obviously, we cannot use the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but you can use colours on a car. In the end, it’s the athlete who cannot display the Russian flag and not the team.”
“The team is an American team,” concluded Steiner. Despite the clarification by Steiner, Autosport has reported that WADA will look into Haas’ livery matter.
Mazepins- a boon to Haas?
Ever since Haas has employed Nikita Mazepin, the team has probably gone from being the most liked team on the grid for its underdog fighting spirit to the most disliked team by tolerating the Russian driver’s video controversy.
Now, Haas has to seek a clean chit from the relevant sports authorities to run on its current livery, as it dawns these new colours and dropping the classic black livery.
