Will Nikita Mazepin be racing for Haas F1 in Bahrain Grand Prix?
28th February 2022Nikita Mazepin’s seat in the Haas F1 Team has come under threat after the Ukraine motor racing federation requested all Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned.
After the Ukrainian motor racing federation, Federation Automobile de l’Ukraine, requested to the FIA to stop Russian and Belarusian athletes from racing. Now, the International Olympic Committee has called for all Russian and Belarusian athletes to be banned from international events.
Following the recent invasion of Ukraine by Russia, last Thursday morning, the Executive Board of the International Olympic Committee has asked sporting federations/organisations not to allow Russian or Belarusian athletes and officials to participate.
In their statement, the IOC said:
“In order to protect the integrity of global sports competitions and for the safety of all the participants, the IOC EB recommends that International Sports Federations and sports event organisers not invite or allow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.”
This now shines even more doubt on Mazepin’s ability to participate in the 2022 Formula One World Championship.
Haas F1 recently removed their title sponsor, Uralkali, from their motorhomes after the invasion of Ukraine. As a result, they also removed the Uralkali livery from their car on the final day of testing in Barcelona, running a plain-white livery instead.
According to the IOC’s second point, Haas could still run with Mazepin as one of their drivers – alongside Mick Schumacher.
It stated:
“Wherever this is not possible on short notice for organisational or legal reasons, the IOC EB strongly urges International Sports Federations and organisers of sports events worldwide to do everything in their power to ensure that no athlete or sports official from Russia or Belarus be allowed to take part under the name of Russia or Belarus.
“Russian or Belarusian nationals, be it as individuals or teams, should be accepted only as neutral athletes or neutral teams. No national symbols, colours, flags or anthems should be displayed.”
Mazepin has ran under a neutral flag ever since he stepped up to F1 from the Formula 2 feeder series. This came after Russia was banned from international competition by the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) in 2021, which will last for four years.
Under the second point, which takes into account ‘short notice,’ Mazepin could get to race in 2022 as he is already running under a neutral flag and the Bahrain Grand Prix is just over two weeks away.
However, Mazepin might not be able to make it a full season if Haas are forced to find a replacement.
As a result of the recent conflict, F1 have now cancelled the Russian Grand Prix from their 23-race calendar.
That’s all for the article: Will Nikita Mazepin be racing for Haas F1 in Bahrain Grand Prix? Do you think Nikita Mazepin will be racing in Bahrain? Let us know in the comments!
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Hi, I’m Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion.
I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I’ve loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.
Kamron Kent
Hi, I'm Kamron. I created ApexMotorsports.co.uk in the dying embers of the 2021 Formula 1 world championship. It allowed me freedom to write whatever I wanted to write about which was all things motorsports, my passion. I have put a lot of effort in over the years to keep this website in its best shape and I've loved seeing the brand grow consistently, month-on-month, year-on-year. My ambition is to keep watching this brand grow into a primary outlet of news for all things motorsports whilst fueling my desire to pursue a career in sports journalism, specialising in motorsports.