Nikita Mazepin says that he was prepared to follow the conditions imposed by the FIA on Russian license holders to continue racing in F1.
The former Haas driver has lost his seat at the team for the 2022 season after the team terminated its commercial partnership with title sponsors Uralkali, of whom Mazepin’s father, Dmitry, is CEO.
Yesterday, the FIA announced that all Russian and Belarusian competitors must sign an agreement to not express any support for the Russian military invasion of Ukraine and not race under the Russian or Belarusian flag or display any symbols connected with the two countries.
In response to Haas’s decision to terminate their sponsorship agreement with Uralkali and drop him as a race driver for this season, Mazepin expressed his unhappiness at the decision on social media, claiming he would have been prepared to sign the FIA mandated agreement in order to race in Formula 1 this year.
“I am very disappointed to hear that my F1 contract has been terminated,” Mazepin said.
“While I understand the difficulties, the ruling from the FIA plus my ongoing willingness to accept the conditions proposed in order to continue were completely ignored and no process was followed in this unilateral step. To those who have tried to understand, my eternal thanks. I have treasured my time in F1 and genuinely hope we can all be together again in the better times. I will have more to say in the coming days.”
Mazepin raced a single season in Formula 1 in 2021, alongside Mick Schumacher. He contested every race except for the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, which he was forced to miss after testing positive for Covid-19 on the morning of the race.
He ended the 2021 season in 21st and last place in the drivers’ championship, having scored no points. Mazepin’s best finish was 14th place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku.
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