The world of sport continues to sanction Russia. This Saturday, March 5, the American Formula 1 team Haas decided to end “with immediate effect” the partnership with its Russian sponsor Uralkali, as well as the contract of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin due to the conflict in Ukraine.
“Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes a speedy and peaceful end to the conflict,” the American team wrote in a press release.
However, the identity of Mazepin’s replacement was not immediately announced but should be before the second and final pre-season test in Bahrain from March 10-12.
Nikita Mazepin, 23, is the son of Russian billionaire and oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, shareholder of the Uralkali group, which specializes in the production of potash, and his contract was linked to the sponsorship of the team.
Under neutral flag
During the last day of the first pre-season tests in Barcelona on February 25, Haas had already removed the Russian colors of Uralkali which his single-seater usually wears.
The promoter of the Formula 1 world championship, Formula One, for its part announced on Thursday that it was definitively breaking its contract with the promoter of the Russian Grand Prix, whose 2022 edition was to be the last organized in Sochi before moving to Saint- Petersburg.
However, the International Automobile Federation (FIA), for its part, has decided to authorize Russian or Belarusian drivers to participate under a neutral flag in the competitions it regulates, such as F1.