Kannapolis (dpa) – The Formula 1 team Haas separates with immediate effect from Mick Schumacher’s Russian stable rival Nikita Masepin and the Russian main sponsor Uralkali. This was announced by the US racing team.
“Like the rest of the Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a quick and peaceful end to the conflict,” the statement said.
Haas has not yet named a new driver, but the American-Brazilian replacement driver Pietro Fittipaldi is said to replace Masepin from Moscow. Like Schumacher, Masepin contested his first Formula 1 season in 2021.
Disappointment at Masepin
He was now “very disappointed,” Masepin wrote on Instagram, underlining his hope “that we can all be together again in better times.” He will have more to say in the coming days. Haas team boss Günther Steiner left open the future of Masepin as a driver and of financier Uralkali as a financier last week after the Russian attack on Ukraine. Nikita Masepin’s father Dmitri is a co-owner of the Russian mining company.
His son should have started in Formula 1 this season only as a neutral athlete under the “Fia flag”. In addition, the 23-year-old should have signed a code of conduct that documents, among other things, a clear distancing from Russia’s actions.
On the one hand, he understands the difficulties, Masepin wrote. The Fia’s decision and its continued willingness to accept the conditions were completely ignored in the unilateral step.
Formula 1 had previously canceled the Russian Grand Prix this year. In addition, the location was completely removed from the racing calendar. The first Grand Prix of 2022 will take place in Bahrain on March 20th.