Mazepin: 'Haas doesn't want Russian money, but won't give Uralkali money back'

Nikita Mazepin's Formula One career came to an abrupt end just before the start of the season after Haas severed ties with Russian sponsor Uralkali due to the invasion of Ukraine. With the breaking of the sponsorship deal, the condition for the Formula 1 team to keep Mazepin on as a driver also expired. The Russian driver believes that Formula 1 should look at its own values.

Formula 1 needs to evaluate values

In early March, after Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Haas decided to remove the logos of main sponsor Uralkali from the car during the test days. Not much later, ties with the Russian company were permanently severed and Mazepin was sent packing. With Kevin Magnussen, the team soon found a good replacement and Haas has had an excellent start of the season. Mazepin himself is not very happy with the way things are going at his old team.

The FIA allowed Mazepin to continue racing in Formula 1 as long as he would assume a neutral status, but Haas ruled otherwise and tore up his contract. In conversation with CNN, the Russian therefore expresses his dissatisfaction with Haas, but also with Formula 1 in general. "I think the values of Formula 1 as a sport in general should be evaluated," he said. With this he points to the fact that Haas has kept the sponsorship money already paid by Uralkali.

Haas does not want to repay sponsorship money

Uralkali already paid substantial amounts of sponsor money for this season, money that Haas now refuses to repay to the company of Dmitri Mazepin, the father of Nikita. Mazepin is therefore not happy with the current state of affairs. "It's a big problem in Formula 1 when teams are allowed to keep sponsorship money without fulfilling the contract," he said. He thinks Formula 1 should take a good look at itself when it doesn't want money from Russia, but Haas is allowed to keep Uralkali's money.

The chances of seeing Mazepin back in Formula 1 seem slim, although the Russian remains hopeful. He realizes that he has to be patient and that his situation is nothing compared to what is happening in the world today. At Haas, at least, we will not see him again: "Haas has clearly done what it has done and in my opinion has not played it in the most decent way," concluded Mazepin.