Furious Mazepin not ruling out legal action after Haas exit
Mar.10 - Former team driver Kevin Magnussen is returning to Formula 1 to replace the axed and furious Russian Nikita Mazepin, whose sponsor Uralkali is not ruling out legal action.
Mazepin, who has just turned 23, told reporters on Wednesday that boss Gunther Steiner did not even give him any notice that the Ukraine crisis had resulted in cancellation of his contract.
"I'm a young man and I was not ready for it," said the Russian, who was personally mentioned in the latest swathe of European Union sanctions along with his father Dmitry, for the closeness of the relationship with Vladimir Putin.
"I did not speak to Gunther personally and I still haven't," Mazepin revealed.
"It's situations like these when you see the real face of those around you."
Mazepin insisted he didn't want to even mention the Russia-Ukraine conflict that has gripped the world, but he says the consequences have "destroyed" the careers of many Russian athletes.
"I appreciate the small number of drivers who expressed their support for me - Sergio, Valtteri, Charles, George, they all contacted me. They know how important the situation is.
"Nothing political but just on a personal level, because athletes and lives have been broken and destroyed."
Mazepin and Uralkali, a major Russian fertiliser company, have in response set up the familiarly-named 'We Compete As One' foundation.
"It will be funded by Uralkali using the money that had been intended for Formula 1 this season," he said.
"We will begin with the paralympic team in Russia, which was banned from the Games in Beijing."
At the same time, Dmitry Mazepin-run Uralkali issued a statement demanding that Haas repay sponsorship money that has already been paid for 2022.
"Haas failed to meet its commitments by terminating the contract prior to the first race," a spokesman said. "Uralkali should therefore be promptly compensated for the payments Haas received."
Nikita is also not ruling out legal action, insisting he has "a few options open".
He is not, however, interested in a return with Haas.
"Formula 1 is a dangerous sport and you have to trust the team you work with. Unfortunately, I have to say that I don't have any confidence in them anymore," the Russian said.
However, it is the European Union that has now banned Mazepin from even travelling in Europe, prompting the racing driver to wonder: "Is there no place anymore for neutrality in sport?
"Does an athlete not only have the right to an opinion, but also the right to keep that opinion out of the public space?" he added.
Mazepin did, though, insist that much of the Western world is missing the bigger picture about the conflict.
Speaking from Moscow, he said: "Those who do not live in this part of the world see only part of the conflict. People from Russia and Ukraine understand it on many more levels."
Finally, Mazepin said he is not planning to race in another category this year, but insists that his Formula 1 chapter is not "closed".
Haas' freight delay in Bahrain means the team will only emerge in the afternoon of day 1 on Thursday, with Magnussen saying he is "excited" to return to F1.
"I really have to say thank you to both Peugeot and Chip Ganassi for releasing me promptly," said the Dane.
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OK, time to relegate MAZspin to the footnotes of the ledger and get on with it. Kinda' nice to see $$$ lose a small battle.
LOL.
"we don´t understand the conflict"? So he has still not condemned the invasion by Russia, and apparently doesn´t want to. In that case good riddance.
One final "don't let the door hit you in the ass on the way out" for that rude, entitled, grabby and talentless little prick! He and Kvyat can race Ladas round the Moscow Autodrome for domestic consumption, hah!
I see no significant reasons to inflict the world's problems on one young athlete. I doubt that he has any political power in Russia nor can he change the direction of the world's problems. It is hypocritical to suggest that all the money behind F1 is all clean as the driven snow or that this young man is responsible for the current war. F1 does not improve a desperately bad situation in eastern Europe by dismissing one Russian driver and acting like all of the rest of the forces behind F1 are clean.
He a rich, groper sexual deviant. F him...
So then he's a Trump supporter.
Michael: if MazJr. were otherwise a talented young driver unconnected with the Putin mafia, you would have a point. But he's not; his billionaire daddy is a high-ranking kleptocrat/oligarch and Putin mafia member. These are evil people in charge of Russia and Russia's industrial entities and Uralkali is one of many, now rightly sanctioned by the entire civilized world. It would have been rank hypocrisy by Haas, F1, FIA and everyone else involved were it to be business as usual with the Mazepins, father and son and fertilizer concern.
Now they will fund teams bsnned from the Olympics for cheating.
Jeez, be gone!!!!
Legal action? Good luck... In what court?
I think I'd like to hear (read) Mazepin's version of why that scumbag Putin would send nearly his entire army on a murderous venture into a peaceful neighbour's country. Killing civilians by dropping bombs and missiles, tank and artillery fire on apartments, homes and hospitals does not sound like something even a putz like Mazepin can explain away.
Pretty sure he could grope his way out of it.
The UN and NATO are funny, when assad , rang up Putin and said can you bomb the f88k out of aleppo for me, they did Jack shit, every country is kinking up fuss Because of Oil and Gas.
European parliament what clowns, making statements like we will stop using hydrocarbons and Russian gas by what 2030, , funny.... why didn't they make these statements in 2021 or 2020,2019,2018, Because it didn't threaten the Oil and Gas supplies, just hypocrites the lot of them
Or when Putin invaded Crimea, sorry "annexed" crimea, what did the whole of Europe and rest of the world do? f77k all...!!, and why? Because no oil or gas there....so f77k em..
Shrop', good rant but I think that you might misunderstand pol's and the guv's they run. My take is that 80+% of them are simply ignorant dolts who concentrate on only one thing, getting elected and maintaining power. You are spot on re their emphasis on O&G and carbon. The pol's hear the voters talking about it and so they jump on the wagon.
Now let's back to sarcastic comments about our fav topic. Almost there.
Bang on about politicians, gravy trainers the lot of them
1st race predictions
1st MV
2nd CL
3rd GR
I just don't have a handle on the race yet. Promise by Wednesday. Can't wait. I will say it seems like biz as usual with some red car improvement. I still believe that's the best driver combo, IF they can make some good pitwall decisions.
Mazepin is and was a lousy driver. The only reason he had a ride in F1 was because of daddy. Daddy made his money because of his relationship with Putin. Putin is now a pariah on the world stage. Money is important to f1 team's but at what cost.
probably even earlier examples than this but it always reminds me of Williams being sponsored by Saudi Airways, ok back then we didnt know what we know now, but you ask at what cost, to Williams i think it saved the team from folding
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