Haas F1 team set for 'complete separation' from Russians?
Mar.4 - Haas is about to execute "complete separation" from Nikita Mazepin, according to former Formula 1 driver Ralf Schumacher.
Australia's motor racing federation is reportedly joining UK Motorsport in bucking the FIA's decision to let the 22-year-old Russian race in 2022.
"The matter is under review in consultation with federal authorities and the Australian grand prix Corporation," a spokesman told us, as the world continues to slam down harsh sanctions against Russia over the Ukraine invasion.
F1's suspension of the Russian GP at Sochi has now become total and permanent exclusion from the sport.
"It means that Russia will no longer have a race in the future," Formula 1 confirmed.
The World Motor Sport Council stopped short of banning Russian drivers like Mazepin, whose father Dmitry - with ties to Vladimir Putin - finances Haas through his Uralkali company.
It is almost certain that Uralkali's Haas deal will be terminated, and Schumacher - whose is Mick Schumacher's uncle - thinks Mazepin will be next.
Indeed, Haas sponsor Home Deluxe's CEO Alexander Thoss is already mentioning Pietro Fittipaldi as Mazepin's replacement for the Bahrain test and 2022 season.
"This complete separation has to happen now," Ralf Schumacher told Sky Deutschland, referring to Mazepin.
"On the one hand is all this external pressure, and Haas is also an American team," he said. "Gunther Steiner says the team is financially solid and I can imagine one or two sponsors coming around the corner.
"I think the team will manage to close the gap."
Ferrari-backed Antonio Giovinazzi is also being linked with the seat, with his Formula E contract said to contain Formula 1-specific break clauses.
For now, Haas is not commenting.
"We haven't published any statement or comment," a spokesman told RTL. "If someone reports something, it's just speculation."
Alexander Vlasov, the vice governor of the Krasnodar region in which Sochi is located, said the "unreasonable" sanctions imposed on Russia are purely to "please western politicians".
"Sport has always been out of politics because sporting events unite people, countries and continents," he told Tass news agency.
"But now, to please western politicians, unreasonable sanctions are being imposed on Russia in the form of exclusion of our sports federations, removal of Russian athletes from participation in international competitions, and termination of our Formula 1 contract.
"I'm sure that many other many other interesting competitions will be held at Sochi Autodrom with the support of the government and lovers of Russian auto and motorcycle racing," Vlasov added.
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The Fia are losing it Imo , just ban the blondie, and I don't mean crybabys gf
Nikita Mazepin would be required to sign a document forbidding him from supporting the Russian invasion of Ukraine if he remains in Formula 1.
The Russian is expected to lose his Haas seat because of the Ukraine crisis but is still officially a driver.
The FIA has made not backing the invasion, either directly or indirectly, a requirement to race.
Drivers will also have to sign a declaration adhering to the FIA's principles of peace and neutrality.
I say to Nikita M. buh-bye, good riddance and don't let the door hit you in your grabby little spoiled, self-entitled ass! And father (and Putin mafia oligarch) Dimitry can take his dirty money (or what's left of it, as the Ruble and Russian economy tank) and go fuck himself with it. The world (and F1) is far better off without them or a race in Sochi. More Imola races and bring back the German GP!
Only thing with bashing the Russian economy, share prices will tumble and the same baddies will earn even more out of it
Let's be honest, Mazepin is only in F1 because of the money he brings to the team from his oligarch family ~ he really doesn't have the skills to be a competitive driver.
As for the vice governor of the Krasnodar region in which Sochi is located, saying the "unreasonable" sanctions imposed on Russia are purely to "please western politicians" demonstrates the high level of anti-west propaganda and hysteria that is being promulgated throughout Russia! This is especially so with the banning of UK, American, French and German media. Putin doesn't want any factual information leaked to Russian people. God only knows what propaganda is being fed to the Russian people!
So thats it then officially , no more NM or Uralkali, not having much luck with sponsors are they.
Now that Mazepin has officially got ousted, P. Fittipaldi should become his replacement based on all relevant indications & references.
Here come Andretti and with them an all American team at last.
very curious if Andretti will use this as an opportunity to buy or buy into Haas - Colton Herta deserves a shot at F1.
Their intention has shifted from buying an existing team to starting one from scratch.
Besides, Herta is ineligible for a super license.
Something people still fail to note.
I suspect swift granting of the silly "superlicense" for young Herta (a multiple race winner in a top motorsports category like IndyCar is surely qualified, no?) would be part of any deal in which Andretti becomes involved in F1 - literally the lowest of barriers if everything else falls into place.
Some people just don't get how he fails to meet the criterion for exemption.
Jere - since you purport to know, why don't you enlighten us? And then explain how FIA could not make an exception for any driver they like and who brings $$ (like Mazepin Jr. did?)
Exceptions are for COVID-induced force majeure situations only.
The only one who's met this criterion is Juri Vips, whose planned 2020 SF program got heavily affected, meaning he received an SL despite not having reached 40 SL points by merely doing 300 km F1 running at proper racing speeds.
Herta's last two IndyCar campaigns didn't get affected, which is why he doesn't meet the necessary criterion.
BTW, Mazepin didn't get exempted as he became eligible by reaching the standard minimum points requirement, so nothing in his case.
Again, these rules you cite are obviously designed to favor those who come up in European F3 and F2. And who owns F1 now? So I suspect if a deal were done to have Andretti buy or partner with Haas with Herta as the driver, an exception would be made. Or perhaps an anti-trust lawsuit threatened? By all objective accounts any multiple (or even single!) race winner in IndyCar has the skills to drive an F1 car. There can be no debate on that - so the "license" is simply designed to favor non-Americans.
America may own F1 at the moment , but the fia make the rules, thats one thing we can be sure about for the foreseeable future , that the fia will stick to the rulebook .
Ive np with having American drivers, its about time f1 had one again, i think why drivers come to f1 through these formulas,is , that they race at the same circuits as f1 does for some/all of the time, all the young guns f1 has now did that...
But either way i couldnt care less aslong as the racings good
Yes, the route is more favorable for FIA-governed categories, but since SL matters are FIA's responsibility, LM has about as little say on them as a Joe next door.
Nationality is an unjustifiable reason for exemption, so doing so would open a worm can as others all drivers would start asking for exemptions based on trivial things & or anything uncovered in the required criterion.
Otherwise, double-standard treatment would occur, which is never okay & shouldn't happen in a modern-day world anymore.
Right Jere, and another well-funded American (with a famous former F1 champion name no less!) stepping in to save the struggling, suddenly sponsor-less, sole US team with a first-rate, multiple-IndyCar race-winning American driver (just in time for two US races this year!) wouldn't lead to extreme pressure from F1/Liberty on its lapdog "sanctioning body" FIA to make an exception to the arguably illegal (are you at all familiar with the concept of anti-trust law? It's actually more sternly enforced in the EU than in the US nowadays, sadly!) "superlicense" requirements? If you don't understand how the world really works, just keep hitting that pipe, because whatever you're smoking must be really good there!
AR Haas have been sponsorless before so financially they aren't struggling , all this is dependant on GH wanting to sell, and to be blunt about it, Michael A was rubbish in F1 for those that remember
Pointless to ponder something that won't happen anyway & by this, I mean Haas getting bought by Andretti.
By the time Andretti targets joining a team started from scratch, Herta will have become eligible by reaching 40 SL points anyway.
And who tf is Juri Vips and how many races at a top international category has he won?
An RB academy driver in F2, but the point is solely about him getting affected heavily by COVID rather than his achievements in top international categories, which is entirely irrelevant in this matter.
I believe when Bernie owned F1 he installed his own lawyer to run FIA... and I suspect Liberty has some similar clout over FIA today.