With doubts about Nikita Mazepin’s future in Formula 1, which drivers could replace him at Haas for the 2022 season if he is dropped?
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, serious doubts have arisen about the future of Haas driver Nikita Mazepin in Formula 1. His father, Dmitry, is the CEO of Uralchem, which holds a controlling stake in Russian fertilizer company Uralkali. Dmitry has direct ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, and Uralkali has served as the title sponsor of the Haas since last year.
Haas already stripped the Uralkali/Russian branding from their cars and pretty much everything to do with the team ahead of the third and final day of the preseason test at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last week, further casting doubt on the 22-year-old’s future in the sport.
A final decision is expected to be made this week, according to team principal Guenther Steiner, as there are several legal issues involved with the potential removal of Uralkali as a sponsor.
Should Mazepin be out, who might replace him alongside Mick Schumacher for the upcoming season? Here are five possibilities.
Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 1 – Pietro Fittipaldi
While it might not be the best choice or a long-term selection, Pietro Fittipaldi is the easy option here, and Steiner has confirmed that he would be the team’s first choice if Mazepin has indeed driven his final race in Formula 1.
Fittipaldi is set to enter his third season as the team’s official reserve driver, and he already has race experience, having filled in twice for the team after Romain Grosjean’s fiery crash in the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.
Given the weakness of the VF-20, he scored respectable finishes in both races, placing 17th in the Sakhir Grand Prix at a different layout of the same circuit and 19th in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit.
How great would it be to have a Schumacher and a Fittipaldi on the grid, and with the same team?
Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 2 – Antonio Giovinazzi
Antonio Giovinazzi is one of only two drivers who competed in Formula 1 during the 2021 season but are not slated to return in 2022. The other one, his former Alfa Romeo teammate Kimi Raikkonen, retired, while Giovianzzi is currently competing in Formula E for Dragon/Penske Autosport.
Giovinazzi had been Ferrari’s selection at Alfa Romeo for three consecutive seasons from 2019 to 2021 before he was replaced for 2022, and he was only dropped after Ferrari lost their right to select one of Alfa Romeo’s two drivers. Former Mercedes driver Valtteri Bottas and rookie Guanyu Zhou are set to compete for the team in 2022.
With Haas being a Ferrari-powered team, that connection could provide him with a nice opportunity to get back into Formula 1 for the 2022 season, especially since he never wanted to leave.
He only scored three points in 2021, but he consistently drove the C41 to respectable finishes. His only DNF came in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, and that came as a result of a hydraulics issue. Aside from that, he only placed outside the top 15 on one occasion. While he only scored points twice, he reeled off three straight 11th place finishes at one point.
Giovinazzi is young enough that this would give him an opportunity to prove he still belongs in Formula 1, and he is experienced enough to provide valuable feedback to the team and help Mick Schumacher along during his second year in the sport as a new era of rules and regulations gets underway.
Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 3 – Nico Hulkenberg
Nico Hulkenberg has been linked to vacant seats on the Formula 1 grid quite often over the last few seasons, but nothing has managed come to fruition. He last competed full-time in 2019 for Renault, now Alpine, before losing his seat to Esteban Ocon.
Hulkenberg most recently competed at all in 2020 for Racing Point as the replacement for Sergio Perez at Silverstone and the replacement for Lance Stroll at the Nurburgring. After not starting the first of two races at Silverstone, he finished in seventh place in the second, and he finished in eighth at the Nurburgring.
Racing Point have since become Aston Martin, and Hulkenberg still serves as the team’s official reserve driver.
Hulkenberg’s name was linked to Haas for the 2021 season, but they opted to go with two rookies to replace veterans Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen instead of another veteran. But in 2022, going with the veteran as a late substitute may make sense.
Pairing Hulkenberg and his experience with fellow German Mick Schumacher in his second season could be an underrated move as the latter continues to develop in the early stages of his career.
While nobody truly knows what to expect in the first season of the new rules and regulations, the addition of Hulkenberg would provide the team with a sense of stability and set them up to attain valuable feedback that they may not otherwise get from a less experienced driver.
With the team hoping to take a big step forward toward the midfield with their new VF-22, this aspect of going with a veteran over a younger driver can’t be overlooked.
Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 4 – Oscar Piastri
If there is one driver not on the Formula 1 grid in 2022 who many believe deserves a seat, it is Oscar Piastri, whose dominant Formula 2 season culminated with a third consecutive championship in three different series.
Piastri also won the Formula Renault Eurocup title in 2019 and the Formula 3 Championship in 2020. But instead of being promoted to Formula 1 for 2022, he was named the Alpine reserve driver after having previously been a member of the Alpine Academy. The move has potentially positioned him to replace two-time world champion Fernando Alonso at the French outfit within the next few seasons.
While Piastri doesn’t have the Ferrari ties to justify the move to Haas as Nikita Mazepin’s replacement, there are a few reasons why this would still make sense — aside from the obvious one of him being the most talented driver without a ride this year.
It might take some serious negotiations, but Haas could effectively take Piastri on loan from Alpine, greatly benefitting the American team immediately, given the fact that they would be fielding the VF-22 for both of the last two Formula 2 champions.
This would benefit Alpine as well, as Piastri would gain valuable experience in the opening season of the new rules and regulations ahead of a potential promotion to the team in the near future, experience that simply cannot be replicated in a reserve role.
With Alpine being the only Renault-powered team on the grid, the team understand that Piastri has no way to gain Formula 1 experience at the moment outside a bizarre opportunity like this one with an unaffiliated team.
Possible Nikita Mazepin replacements: No. 5 – Robert Shwartzman
Following a second place finish in the 2021 Formula 2 championship behind Oscar Piastri, Robert Shwartzman also finds himself without a Formula 1 seat in 2022.
Shwartzman is a member of the Ferrari Driver Academy, and he is widely considered one of the top young Ferrari-tied drivers after winning the 2018 Toyota Racing Series championship and the 2019 Formula 3 Championship ahead of consecutive winning seasons in Formula 2.
If Haas want to go with a younger Ferrari driver best positioned for a Formula 1 opportunity in the near future already, then the 22-year-old Russian may be their best bet.
However, “Russian” may be what holds him back.
While he doesn’t have direct ties to Vladimir Putin like the Mazepin family, Shwartzman could still unfortunately be banned from Formula 1 simply because he is Russian after Ukraine’s motor racing federation has asked the FIA to ban all Russian drivers amid the ongoing war.
Even if it turns out that only Mazepin is axed and not all Russian drivers are banned, selecting Shwartzman at this particular point in time may not be the best PR move for Haas moving forward, as ridiculous as that may sound to the average fan.
But then again, the sport’s lone American team have proven many times before that they are willing to make some questionable moves when it comes to drivers and sponsors.
If Nikita Mazepin loses his seat with Haas, who will replace him for the 2022 Formula 1 season? Will it be one of these five drivers, or will somebody else get the call to fill in alongside Mick Schumacher? The season is scheduled to get underway on Sunday, March 20 with the Bahrain Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit.