Nikita Mazepin claimed he had agreed with Haas that he would race under a neutral flag only for the team to cancel his contract.
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Russian driver Nikita Mazepin claims he only discovered he had been dropped by Haas when the Formula One team released the press release of their decision to terminate his contract. Mazepin was speaking at a press conference on Wednesday after Russian company Uralkali announced that they would be seeking a full refund from Haas after their title sponsorship was also cut ahead of the 2022 season.
Uralkali are owned by Mazepin’s father Dmitry, who is an associate of Vladimir Putin, and the company criticised Haas for making their decision based on “geopolitical reasons” in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The American team decided to cut ties with Mazepin and Uralkali even after the FIA announced that they would allow the 23-year-old to race under a neutral flag.
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It has led to Mazepin announcing that he will set up a foundation to support athletes unable to compete in their sport because of “political reasons”. Mazepin said the foundation would be called ‘We Compete As One’ and Uralkali confirmed it would be funded by the money they will receive back from Haas.
Mazepin claimed he had agreed with Haas that he would race under a neutral flag only for the team to cancel his contract on Saturday. Mazepin was given his seat with Haas after Uralkali became the title sponsor of the team at the end of the 2020 season.
“I deserved more support from the team,” Mazepin said, according to a translation of his press conference on Wednesday morning. “I was relieved to see that the FIA allowed us to start in neutral colours. I was hoping to drive. Then everything changed and I lost the dream I had been working for for 18 years.
“I heard about my Haas sacking, like everyone else, from the press. I didn’t deserve it. I was very disappointed with how it played out. I hadn’t been worried since I left Barcelona [for the first round of pre-season testing].
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“Formula One is not a closed chapter for me. I will be ready to race in case there is an opportunity to return. I wish all the best to the drivers who will replace me. They have nothing to do with the existing situation.”
Mazepin said his ‘We Compete As One’ foundation would offer financial support to athletes who are unable to compete in top-level sport because of their nationality. Sporting organisations such as Fifa and the International Olympic Committee have banned Russian athletes from competing in international events due to the ongoing invasion of Ukraine.
The Russian said athletes are being unfairly punished, adding: “The decision from Haas was not based either on any directive from the sport’s governing body authority, or dictated by any sanctions that were placed against either me or my father, or his company. And, of course, I don’t feel this is fair.”
