Nikita Mazepin’s future in Formula 1 is very dark at the moment and every day more news is added against him. The Russian driver, supported by Uralkali, one of the big companies in his country, may not start the 2022 season.
The situation resulting from Russian invasion of Ukraine It is affecting us all to a greater or lesser extent and the world of competition is not spared from it. One of the main reasons is that there are not a few Russian companies and drivers present in the different championships.
AND Nikita Mazepina Haas Formula 1 driver, is surely the one who receives the most media attention, so every decision made by the federative bodies has a direct impact on him and his future.
“If it does not change, I will send an official letter so that we stop financing and competing”
The FIA recently announced that it would allow Russian drivers to compete under a neutral flag, but the British and Finnish federations have banned them from their events. This means that, barring FIA intervention, Nikita Mazepin could not compete in the British Grand Prix of this year.
Delicate situation
But right now, Nikita Mazepin has bigger problems than that, as he may not even start the 2022 season with Haas. Already in the tests of Barcelona, the American team withdrew the sponsorship of Uralkali and he is currently considering breaking up relations definitively.
The Russian fertilizer company, owned by Dmitry Mazepinis in a delicate situation after the numerous sanctions of the NATO countries to Russia, so it is likely that Nikita Mazepin will lose his seat in Formula 1 by losing his financing (plus the negative publicity that every Russian citizen drags at the moment).
The threat
But it is that, in addition, an event revealed by the fourth season of Drive to Survivea Netflix documentary series that narrates the 2021 season of Formula 1 and which will premiere on March 11, reveals a tense and not too friendly relationship between the Mazepin clan and Haas.
In one of the episodes of the series, the threats from Dmitry Mazepin to Günther Steinerwhich requires a change of car between Mick Schumacher and his son, who has started the season performing well behind the German.
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Although Steiner assures him that both cars are the same, the Russian businessman insists and threatens to withdraw his sponsorship from Uralkali if his demands are not met.
In an exchange with team advisor Jesper Carlsen at the Spanish Grand Prix, Dmitry Mazepin warned: “If it does not change, I will send an official letter so that we stop financing and stop competing. It will be a big problem with money.”
We are not going to continue like this. We already tried for three races and if we remove Uralkali, we stop racing. Change cars. Everyone knows someone has an advantage.”Mazepin insisted.
In the middle of the season, Gunther Steiner he admitted that Mazepin’s chassis was somewhat heavier than Schumacher’s, which is why the cars were swapped and the Russian was later assigned a new chassis. However, the results did not improve and the season ended with Schumacher easily beating his teammate.
Both also maintain a tense relationship that during the 2021 championship led to several controversies on and off the track. Will this whole situation turn against Mazepin? Haas has a tough decision to make and will likely do so before the second week of pre-season testing begins on March 10.
Source: racefans.net
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Photos: Haas F1 Team