Petrov says 'punishment' for Mazepin unjust: "He was not caught doping"

Nikita Mazepin will not race under the Russian flag in Formula 1 in 2021. Russian athletes are not welcome at world championships until December 2022, but Vitaly Petrov says that is ridiculous.

Russia is still serving a two-year suspension, which it received after it was discovered that data had been manipulated in a lab that is supposed to check the doping of Russian athletes. Russian athletes are still allowed to compete at major events such as the Olympics but do so under a neutral flag.

Punishment for Mazepin

This also applies to Nikita Mazepin, who will compete in the Formula 1 World Championship from 2021. Where he could drive under the Russian flag in F2, that will not be the case now. ''It is absurd. An athlete should be responsible for his own action, but Nikita was not caught doping. If he had been caught on that I would have understood, but that is not the case,'' Petrov said according to Speedweek.com.

"Now athletes who work hard are unfairly punished for something they didn't do. They are not even able to fight for their country. Athletes who are not guilty of anything should just be able to represent their country," concludes the Russian who was active in F1 himself between 2010 and 2012.