Formula 1: Ridiculous reason emerges for Nikita Mazepin firing

Many are falsely citing the fact that Nikita Mazepin is Russian as the reason why his Formula 1 contract was terminated by Haas.

Haas confirmed the inevitable on Saturday morning, announcing that neither title sponsor Uralkali nor driver Nikita Mazepin would remain with the team for the 2022 Formula 1 season.

This was always the most likely decision, given Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and Dmitry Mazepin’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Dmitry is Nikita’s father and the CEO Uralchem, which holds a controlling stake in Uralkali, and he met with Putin directly amid the invasion. The pair had met with one another before on multiple occasions as well.

The team stripped the Uralkali branding from their cars before the third and final day of preseason testing at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya last Friday, and they confirmed that they would be doing the same ahead of the upcoming test at Bahrain International Circuit.

Now they won’t have to worry about that.

Unfortunately, there is a misconception going around about why the 23-year-old Russian was fired.

Many are claiming that he was only fired because he is Russian, and it’s easy to see why some would get this impression given some of the other “Russian bans” that have been enacted around the globe amid the ongoing events in Ukraine.

However, any suggestion that Mazepin’s nationality is the reason Haas cut ties with him is straight-up inaccurate.

Yes, Ukraine’s motor racing federation did request the FIA to ban all Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing, but the FIA rejected that request and made clear that those drivers would still be free to compete under a neutral flag.

At that point in time, Mazepin was, indeed, free to continue competing in Formula 1, and he had already been competing under a neutral flag.

What got him cut is the fact that Haas had to cut his funding, which came from Uralkali. They could not remain associated with the Russian fertilizer company directly tied to Putin — and directly tied to the ongoing chaos.

No, Nikita isn’t directly responsible for any of that chaos. However, it was always obvious that he only had his ride because of his dad’s money. With that money out of the picture, he was also always going to be out if Haas cut ties with Uralkali.

It really comes down to nothing more than a sponsorship issue, and when sponsorship was the only legitimate reason he was there in the first place, put two and two together. It would have been the same end result for any pay driver. Likewise, it would have been a different end result for any Russian driver not backed by this type of sponsor.

Yes, he was barred from competing in the British Grand Prix at Silverstone Circuit as a result of a “Russian ban”, and that did ruffle some feathers. But that was the only race for which that was the case. Had Haas opted to or been able to keep Uralkali, he would still be able to compete in Formula 1.

Mazepin’s replacement for the 2022 season has not yet been named by Haas, but that is expected to change early this coming week. The season is scheduled to begin at Bahrain International Circuit with the Bahrain Grand Prix on Sunday, March 20.