F1 News
Mazepin on the situation in Ukraine: 'Very painful'
Nikita Mazepin assumed at the start of the season that he would be racing for Haas in Formula 1 again this season. But the Russian invasion of Ukraine also changed Mazepin's life: Haas said goodbye to him and so the Russian is now sitting at home unemployed.
Putin's confidant
For Mazepin, it played into his disadvantage that his father Dmitry is a confidant of Russian President Vladimir Putin. As a result, Nikita has also been directly hit with sanctions. For example, a real estate complex in Italy - registered in the names of both Mazepins - has been confiscated.
When he was asked by Richard Quest on CNN was asked about the impact of the sanctions, Mazepin said, "To be very honest, I won't shed a tear over this. In the broader context, it's not that important and of course at some point we will look at the options we can take in terms of sanctions and villas."
Foundation established
Much more important to Mazepin is standing up for athletes like him. That's why he set up the "We compete as one" foundation. "What is happening right now - and I see only a small part of it from Moscow - is very painful in my opinion. I have lived in a very peaceful world for 23 years. But regarding my official position, I have said before that it is very important for me to be neutral as an athlete. That's why I created a foundation to help athletes remain basically neutral."
Nevertheless, Mazepin posted a photo on Instagram with Putin. It remains to be seen whether the international motorsport community sees this as a sign of neutrality.
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