MontmelóThe world of sports continues to take action against Russia after its invasion of Ukraine. The latest protagonist to do so has been the Hass Formula 1 team, closely linked to the country. Uralkali, a Russian potash fertilizer company and the main sponsor of the US team, has disappeared from the two cars. The Russian flag has also been removed from the badge. With a completely white car, the two Haas drivers (Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher) have completed the last session of this Friday at the Circuit de Catalunya while in the pits and offices they are looking for solutions to the serious crisis they are going through.
It all started on Thursday. Hours after the start of the war, team leader Guenther Steiner decided not to appear at a press conference to avoid questions about the conflict and the team’s relationship with Uralkali. The dome of the team remained waiting until, in the late afternoon, it decided to remove the stickers from the Russian company from the car and trucks. This Friday, the last day of the tests at the Circuit, the scene has been repeated. Nikita Mazepin, a Russian national, has also denied any involvement in the press conference and has left his teammate, Mick Schumacher, as the team’s only representative and sole spokesman for the media.
“The news that comes to us is horrible. These are facts that affect us all. Personally, I am very sad,” Schumacher told a news conference, where he attended with the team’s clothes and, therefore, with the colors and the Uralkali logo. The Swiss-German pilot declined to comment on the team’s decision to remove all iconography from the company: “I am not the right person to answer this question,” he said. For his part, Mazepin has resolved his absence from the press conference with a brief statement on social media. “To my fans and fans – it’s a difficult time and I have no control over much of what is said and done. I have decided to focus on what I can control, working hard and giving my best for my team Haas. My deepest gratitude for your understanding and support, “said the Russian, who made no reference to the armed conflict.
Uralkali and Mazepin, with close connections to Putin
The Mazepin’s relationship with the power of their country is very close. When she arrived in Formula 1 two seasons ago, Nikita Mazepin no longer landed on a good footing. Some off-circuit facts were blamed on him, such as a video where the pilot could be seen grabbing a woman without her consent or driving over speed limits on several occasions. That, however, was no reason for Dmitry Mazepin’s son to leave the Grand Circus. Dmitry’s friendship with Russian President Vladimir Putin allowed him to build a large fortune and enabled his son to arrive in Formula 1. Uralkali became the top investor in the Haas team, a team in which Mazepin shrugged.
Now, with the armed conflict between Russia and Ukraine in full swing, Haas sees his economic stability endangered, as well as beginning to question the continuity of his pilot Nikita Mazepin. In fact, Uralkali has already fallen on the stock market after the Russian attack and it is speculated that the Russian pilot’s contract with the team would have its hours numbered.
Formula 1 suspends the Russian Grand Prix
The organization of the Formula 1 World Championship has decided to suspend the Grand Prix to be held in late September in Russia (Sochi circuit) following the invasion of Ukraine. “It is impossible to maintain the Russian GP in these circumstances,” it said in a statement.
