Formula 1: Nikita Mazepin missed his final race
By Asher Fair
Nikita Mazepin missed what would have been his final Formula 1 race at the end of the 2021 season, as he has since been sacked.
Recent speculation was confirmed on Saturday morning, when Haas confirmed that they would be cutting ties with title sponsor Uralkali as well as driver Nikita Mazepin ahead of the 2022 Formula 1 season.
This decision comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nikita’s father, Dmitry, is the CEO of Uralchem, which holds a controlling stake in Uralkali. He met with Russian President Vladimir Putin shortly after the invasion began, and the two have had close ties from previous meetings.
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So when Haas stripped their cars of all Uralkali branding ahead of the third and final day of preseason testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last Friday and confirmed plans to do the same at next week’s test at Bahrain International Circuit, it was obvious that they were moving in the direction of cutting the Russian fertilizer company, which would inherently lead to Mazepin losing his ride.
It was confirmed on Saturday morning that Uralkali and Mazepin had indeed been cut by the American team, with immediate effect.
A replacement for the 22-year-old Russian behind the wheel of the second VF-22 alongside Mick Schumacher has not yet been named. An announcement about the matter is expected to come at the beginning of next week.
The 2022 season would have been Mazepin’s second season in Formula 1, as he competed as a rookie last year. However, he did not run the entire 22-race schedule, as he missed what would have been his final race.
After qualifying in the usual 20th (last) place for the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix at Yas Marina Circuit, Mazepin tested positive for COVID-19 and was forced to miss the race. Only 19 drivers ended up competing in the race, as by then, it was too late for Haas to confirm a replacement.
Mazepin’s final race ended up being the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix at Jeddah Corniche Circuit, which took place the week before the finale. He crashed out of that race, just as he crashed out of his first race in Bahrain on the opening lap.
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Mazepin finished the 2021 season with 22 spins in 21 races, and he scored 0 points. His only finish higher than 17th place was a 14th place finish in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at Baku City Circuit, and that only came after multiple frontrunners, including championship rivals Max Verstappen and Lewis Hamilton, were knocked out of contention.