Mazepin raises hands for Russian athletes
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Nikita Mazepin seemed to be gearing up for his second season at Haas, but the Russian war in Ukraine turned everything upside down. The American racing team decided to say goodbye to sponsor Uralkali and to him. Mazepin, however, did not leave it at that, reports ESPN.
In fact, the Russian driver decided to make himself useful behind the scenes by setting up a foundation. Under the name "We Compete As One" Mazepin wants to stand up for all athletes from Russia who, because of the war, are not allowed to participate in the sport in which they are active.
In doing so, he seems to want to make a clear statement to the Formula 1 world. Since Vladimir Putin decided to attack Ukraine, the pressure on Mazepin grew. It finally made Haas decide that it was better to let Mazepin leave immediately.
Mazepin surprised by Haas' actions
Earlier in the day Mazepin expressed his surprise at the actions of Haas. According to the driver he had to learn through a press release that Haas was parting from him. The Russian therefore let it be known that he no longer has confidence in the actions of Haas and is very disappointed with the way they do business.