Haas to sever relations with Nikita Mazepin; Pietro Fittipaldi named as Russian’s replacement: Reports

Haas to sever relations with Nikita Mazepin; Pietro Fittipaldi named as Russian’s replacement: Reports

The FIA and Formula One have taken strict actions against Russia their military invasion of Ukraine. Formula one recently terminated its contract with the Russian Grand Prix stating it will not be racing in Russia in the future. Even the UK’s Motorsports authority has decided to ban Russian drivers from participating in races held in the UK.

This means Haas’s Nikita Mazepin will not be able to participate in British Grand Prix. And the rumours are ripe that with possible future sanctions, it won’t be possible for Haas F1 to continue with Mazepin and his company Uralkali as the title sponsor.

The reports are that Haas will be severing relations with Nikita Mazepin and will be replacing the Russian with reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi. The news will be announced soon and the Brazillian will take part in the Pre-season test in Bahrain.

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Nikita Mazepin’s news to be announced soon

Earlier the FIA had decided to initiate a ban on all motorsport events in Russia and Belarus. The ban also bans nationals and teams from the two countries from participating in international events. However Russian drivers and teams were allowed to participate in their neutral capacity and under the “FIA flag”, subject to FIA’s approval.

With the recent news, it seems Mazepin will no longer be a part of the Haas F1 team. The team have already intermittently terminated the contract with Russian Fertilizer company ‘Uralkali’, owned by his father Dimitry Mazepin.

Fittipaldi has been associated with Haas since his days in the Ferrari Junior driver academy. He was their Test driver from the 2019 to 2021 seasons. He eventually made his Formula One debut with Haas at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix and in the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, replacing the injured Romain Grosjean after the Frenchman’s horrific crash at the preceding 2020 Bahrain GP. Fittipaldi finished the races 17th and 19th respectively.

Fittipaldi is expected to take part in the next pre-season tests in Bahrain for Haas. The Official Pre-season test will begin from March 10th to 12th. It will be followed by the season premiere Bahrain GP on March 18.

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