Nikita Mazepin’s stint in Formula 1 is all but over, with Brazilian driver Pietro Fittipaldi set to replace the Russian at Haas.
Mazepin’s F1 future has been under threat ever since Russia declared war on Ukraine. As soon as the offensive started, Haas removed all Uralkali (a Russian company) branding from their cars, garages and paddock homes.
For Mazepin, this was bad news because the company is owned by his father Dimitri Mazepin. Most of the nations in the West have imposed sanctions on Russia, which makes it impossible to do business with them. As a result, Haas may be forced to part ways with them.
Mazepin himself wasn’t going to be banned by FIA for his nationality. He was granted permission to continue racing, without using the Russian flag next to his name. However, Haas may still go ahead with the removal of the 23-year old from the team.
The Moscow born driver was never particularly convincing, and many speculated that the real reason behind his appointment, was the amount of money his father put in the team. Without Uralkali’s funding, the American team see no reason to keep Mazepin, whose short stay in F1 so far has been riddled with controversy.
According to Sky Sports Germany, Haas have already found a replacement. Pietro Fittipaldi will reportedly be behind the wheel of the VF-22 at next week’s pre-season testing in Bahrain.
Why have Haas gone for Pietro Fittipaldi?
Fittipaldi was always going to be the first choice for Haas. This was confirmed by team principal Guenther Steiner after the Barcelona testing. While the team haven’t made anything official, an announcement is expected later this week.
“Pietro is always around with us for this reason,” said Steiner. “In the last years we needed a reserve driver with having Covid around. He’s always around, he knows the team, he knows the car.
“To jump in from one day to the other. There is nobody better than Pietro around at the moment.”
The 25-year old is also the grandson of two time F1-World Champion Emerson Fittipaldi.
The Brazilian has been with Haas for four seasons now. In these four years, he’s acted as a reserve and development driver for the team. After Romain Grosjean’s infamous crash in Sakhir ruled him out for the final two races of the 2020 season, it was Fittipaldi who stood in for the Frenchman.
