Nikita Mazepin has vowed to “fight” Formula One team Haas over their decision to sack him following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The Russian driver has blasted what he sees as “cancel culture” around his country after his family was hit by economic sanctions in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s decision in late February.
Mazepin was sacked by Haas on March 5, with Kevin Magnussen then hired as a replacement for the 2022 season. US-based team Haas got rid of Mazepin and terminated the contract of their title sponsor, the Russian chemicals company Uralkali, last month in reaction to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The 23-year-old is the son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, who has funded his son’s motorsport career and was one of a number of leading Russian businessmen invited to a meeting with Putin at the Kremlin hours after the invasion began.
Announcing sanctions against him last month, the European Union described the chemicals billionaire as “a member of the closest circle of Vladimir Putin”. His son is therefore a “person associated with a leading businessperson involved in economic sectors providing a substantial source of revenue to the government of the Russian Federation”.
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“I don’t agree with being in the sanctions and I’ve said previously that I intend to fight it,” Mazepin told the BBC via video link from Moscow. “Perhaps now is not the right time, because if you look at the whole situation that’s happening against athletes in the general case, it’s cancel culture against my country.”
Mazepin was then challenged by the interviewer, who asked whether he had seen images from Ukraine, showing the alleged war crimes which had been committed by the Russian army on the outskirts of Kyiv. “It is very painful to watch that on many levels,” he replied. “My feelings, they obviously changed as a human being and as a person that wants to live in a very peaceful world, but I will be honest with you, I see tremendous risks in saying anything at all about this case because I will never satisfy everyone and therefore I will keep myself publicly quiet.”
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In a statement issued upon his sacking by Haas last month, Mazepin suggested he was let go despite being willing to make concessions. He said he was “disappointed” to have his contract terminated and that his “willingness to accept the conditions proposed in order to continue were completely ignored”.
The FIA, motorsport’s governing body, has not banned Russian drivers from competing, but states they must compete as neutral athletes and sign a document agreeing not to support the invasion. F1 cancelled this year’s Russian Grand Prix a day after the start of the invasion.
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