The Haas Formula One team has terminated the contract with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali’s title sponsor.
The decision comes in the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and means no Russians have signed up for F1 ahead of the new season.
“The Haas F1 team has taken the decision to immediately terminate the title partnership with Uralkali and the contract of pilot Nikita Mazepin,” the team said in a statement. “Like the rest of the F1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a speedy and peaceful end to the conflict.”
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Motorsports’ governing body, the FIA, did not rule out Mazepin’s participation in F1 racing this year when it announced earlier this week that Russian and Belarusian drivers would be allowed to continue to compete in international motorsports as long as they compete under a neutral flag. and agreed not to express any support for Russian actions in Ukraine.
However, on Saturday, Haas announced that the deal with Mazepin and Uralkali had been terminated, with the team saying news of a driver replacement would come out next week.
An hour after the news broke, Mazepin released a statement on his social media accounts.
“I am very disappointed to learn that my contract with Formula 1 has been terminated,” said Mazepin. “While I understand the difficulties, the decision of the FIA plus my continued willingness to accept the terms offered to continue were completely ignored and no process was followed in this unilateral move.
“To those who tried to understand, my eternal gratitude. I treasured my time in Formula 1 and sincerely hope that we can be together again in better times. I will have something to say in the coming days.”
Mazepin joined Haas in early 2021 as part of a sponsorship deal with Russian fertilizer company Uralkali, which is partly owned by his father Dmitry through his Uralchem company.
Dmitry Mazepin was one of the business leaders who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin last week at the Kremlin in Moscow to discuss the sanctions imposed on the country after the invasion of Ukraine.
The deal with Uralkali helped Haas secure its finances ahead of the 2021 season and led to a title sponsorship deal that would paint the car in the colors of the Russian flag.
On the final day of this year’s first pre-season testing in Barcelona last week, the livery and Uralkali logo were removed from the car, although Mazepin continued to drive the VF22 as planned.
Speaking on the last day of testing last week, after the change of color, Haas team principal Günter Steiner said the team could survive without the Mazepins’ money.
“Financially, we are doing well,” Steiner said. “He has no implementation in the team, how we conduct it, how we work, how we plan the season.
“There are more ways to get funding. So there is no problem with that.”
On Thursday, F1 announced it had canceled its deal to host the race in Russia, meaning the country will not host a Grand Prix for the foreseeable future.