Nikita Mazepin replacement suffers setback in chance to impress with unfortunate ‘delay’

Haas have now confirmed that Pietro Fittipaldi will drive as Nikita Mazepin’s replacement in testing this week, but it’s already not gone to plan. Haas’ preparations for the 2022 season have been far from perfect having dumped main sponsor Uralkali in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Mazepin also lost his seat after weeks of speculation over his future as his dad, Dmitry Mazepin, was one of the Russian businessmen pictured at a meeting at the Kremlin on the day Russia invaded Ukraine.

F1’s governing body, the FIA, had originally stated that all Russian competitors would still be allowed to compete under a neutral flag.

But Haas decided to sever ties immediately with both Mazepin and Uralkali last week – just days before the new season begins.

A decision on who will replace Mazepin for the long-term is yet to be decided, but Fittipaldi will get his chance to impress this week in Bahrain.

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The grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi has been a reserve driver at Haas since 2019.

And he’s already had race experience inside the Haas having stepped in for Romain Grosjean at the Sakhir Grand Prix.

Now is his first shot at taking an F1 seat for a full season though with testing in Bahrain likely to play a big role in whether he is selected or not.

Testing begins on March 10, but Haas are already at a disadvantage due to a transport issue.

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