It may not come as much of a surprise to Formula 1 fans but American owned Haas F1 has parted ways with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin with ‘immediate effect’.
The Russo-Ukrainian war sparked international outrage from the onset, indirectly affecting the price of crude oil and driving fuel prices to unprecedented heights.
The tensions in the region worsened when Russia conducted a full scale invasion into their bordering neighbours which occurred during the unofficial 3 day Formula 1 pre-season running in Barcelona. After the second day of testing, Haas opted to remove the Russian livery and Uralkali sponsorship, a Russian owned manufacturer of chemical products.
The team made a statement on the morning of the 5th of March 2022 confirming rumours that the partnership with Uralkali and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin would be terminated with immediate effect.
A hint at who may replace the Russian was shared on their twitter account two days prior to the termination of contract showing an old image of Brazilian Pietro Fittipaldi testing Haas machinery in Bahrain to announce a one-week reminder for the official pre-season test.
The next logical choice would have been former Alfa Romeo driver Antonio Giovinazzi who proved consistency against veteran teammate Kimi Räikkönen last season but this is all speculation on our part.
The announcement comes as little surprise for many Formula 1 fans and critics who lambasted Russian driver Nikita Mazepin for funding his seat in the financially crippled team. His lacklustre performance in 2021 against German teammate Mick Schumacher saw him consistently off the pace and often struggling to keep the Haas VF-21 on the black stuff, remember Mazespin? Although that Haas did seem to be more difficult to tame than a wild animal.
On Thursday, Formula 1 also confirmed that it had terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix promoter meaning no race will take place this season or in the future. Kyalami awaits your presence Formula 1!
