The Haas F1 team terminated both the title sponsorship deal with Uralkali as well as the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin recently.
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The Haas F1 team is reportedly eyeing up three seperate drivers to complete their driver line-up ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
Haas terminated both the title sponsorship deal with Uralkali as well as the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin recently.
This came as a response to the Russia-Ukraine war, with the spotlight being firmly shone on any Russian business dealings.
Uralkali is a Russian minerals and chemicals company owned by Dimitry Mazepin, Nikita’s father. What’s more, he is reportedly close to the Kremlin.
As such, the American team are now looking out for a new driver. And, according to a BBC report, there are three drivers being lined up – Pietro Fittipaldi, Oscar Piastri and Jehan Daruvala.
Fittipaldi is an option that was touted by Gunther Steiner as well. The grandson of Emerson Fittipaldi is also the current Haas reserve driver, so would be easy to get.
Piastri is a name that will excite a big number of fans. The 2022 Formula 2 world champion is seen by many as one of F1’s next big talents.
Also read: Haas term Uralkali contract termination ‘a bump in the road’
But it is also worth noting that he is currently under contract with Alpine. He is also the French team’s reserve driver and getting him out of his contract would require some funds.
Daruvala is no doubt the most left field option named here. He is the only driver from India currently on the F2 grid and has raced in the series since 2020.
The 23-year-old is pacy but has yet to show the kind of consistency needed to break through as a champion. It is also not clear if he would have the funding to ‘pay’ his way into a seat.
Yet it is worth pointing out that Gene Haas, who owns the team, has said quite different things about who could get the seat.
Haas has said that Fittipaldi will be considered but that the team would like someone with experience if available.
“I think we’re looking. I think we’d obviously like to get someone with a bit more actual experience,” Haas told the AP. “We just have to see what’s available.
“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. Pietro will definitely be in it, that’s what he’s for, he’s the test driver.”
He also spoke on what led to the team choosing to cut ties with Uralkali.
“There was a lot of intense criticism about the Ukrainian invasion and it was just getting overwhelming. We can’t deal with all that, our other sponsors can’t deal with all that.”
