Haas did not notify Mazepin of his contract cancellation earlier

Nikita Mazepin did not receive any signal from Haas that his contract would be broken. The Russian made this known in a press briefing to The Race. The driver has lost confidence in his former employer.

Mazepin and Uralkali out

For Mazepin, these have been turbulent weeks. Because Russia invaded Ukraine, various sanctions are being imposed on Russia and Belarus in Europe. This also affects athletes. For example, Russian soccer clubs were already excluded from European soccer matches as well as Russians and Belarusians not being allowed to participate in the Paralympic Games.

The FIA was more lenient on athletes in this regard. Russia as a country was not allowed to participate in car races and Russian teams were also not welcome, but Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to drive under a neutral flag. This was later joined by a document with all sorts of things the driver must sign, but Mazepin was happy to commit to that.

No message from Haas

However, in the press moment Mazepin tells that he never got that chance from Haas. After his father's company, Uralkali, was already removed as a sponsor from the car prior to the third day of testing in Barcelona, it was later announced that Mazepin must leave the team as well. Mazepin, however, did not speak to anyone at Haas after the final day of testing.

The Russian received a message at the moment that the press release from Haas came out, stating the dissolution of his contract. The driver had not received any warning from the team or heard anything at all from his team boss. There was no contact with Guenther Steiner.

Uralkali has already revealed that it is considering legal action against Haas, as money has already been paid for the 2022 Formula One season. Mazepin is also looking at the possibilities of taking Haas to court. He is keeping all options open, but also states that he does not want to drive for a team that has violated his trust and does not actually want him.