Nikita Mazepin revealed that there were four Formula 1 drivers who sent him supportive messages after Haas terminated his contract.
Unfortunately for Haas, much of their pre-season period has been spent not focusing on the development of the car, but rather on managing the escalating situation that was created as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with sport around the world cutting ties with Russia. The American Formula One racing team immediately decided to remove the branding of their main sponsor Uralkali from the VF-22 on the last dau of the first pre-season testing session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona as well as the Russian-flag colours. Haas later confirmed parting ways with Uralkali (owned by his billionaire father Dmitry), but also decided to terminate Nikita Mazepin’s contract for the 2022 Formula 1 season.
The FIA, Formula 1’s governing body, had stated that Russian and Belarusian athletes were allowed to take part in their competitions under a neutral flag, as long as they officially agreed to the organisation’s principles of peace and neutrality, but Nikita Mazepin explained that he was fired before he had the chance to do so.
The Russian driver Mazepin has been left feeling extremely hard done by regarding Haas’ decision and also revealed that only four of the now 19 drivers on the Formula 1 grid reached out to him after the news was out.
Scuderia Ferrari Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc was among the four drivers that sent a supportive message to the Russian driver, alongside Mercedes’ George Russell, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and new Alfa Romeo Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas and Nikita Mazepin was grateful for their support.
Show your support for Scuderia Ferrari with official merchandise collection from Puma!
Speaking in a video conference, the former Haas driver explained:
“I appreciated the small number of drivers who expressed their support for me. Sergio [Perez], Valtteri [Bottas], Charles [Leclerc] and George [Russell] all contacted me. They know how important the situation is, and they showed their support after I lost the opportunity to compete. The messages were nothing political but just on a personal level – to keep my head up because athletes have been broken and lives have been destroyed after a decision like that. I would also like to add that I’m thankful for the support from them, because in the long journey towards Formula 1, they’ve been, every one of them, risking losing their seats, and they actually support me in this time when I lost my dream, and I lost my drive.” – Nikita Mazepin concluded.
Leave a Reply