On Saturday morning, Haas announced it was ending its title sponsorship of Russian chemical giant Uralkali, and Mazepin, whose father owns Uralkali, lost his right to compete in the 2022 season.
It came in response to Russia’s widely condemned invasion of Ukraine last week, when countries around the world imposed sanctions on Russia.
Motorsport authorities around the world reacted to the war in Ukraine in their own way: the F1 FIA leadership banned Russian and Belarusian athletes from racing under their national flags.
Motorsport UK expressly banned competitors from both countries from participating in their series.
Given the Mazepin family’s ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, Nikita Mazepin’s future in Formula One was in doubt.
In a statement posted on social media, Mazepin said: “Dear fans and followers, I am very disappointed to learn that my contract with F1 has been terminated.
“While I understand the difficulties, the decision of the FIA, plus my continued willingness to accept the conditions offered to proceed, were completely ignored and no process was undertaken unilaterally.
“To those who tried to understand, my eternal gratitude.
“I have treasured my time in Formula 1 and sincerely hope that we can be together again in better times.
“I’ll have something to say in the coming days.”
Haas has yet to make any further announcements on its latest news regarding who will be the title sponsor and who will replace Mazepin.
In an interview during pre-season testing in Barcelona last month, Haas team principal Gunther Steiner said test driver Pietro Fittipaldi would be first in line if Mazepin lost his seat.
Fittipaldi raced two races for Haas in 2020, replacing an injured Romain Grosjean after a horrific crash at Baharin.
On the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona in February, Haas removed all Uralkali markings in the colors of the Russian flag from its vehicles in response to the invasion of Ukraine.
It’s unclear at this stage what Haas’ plans are for F1 pre-season testing in Bahrain next week after the Mazepin-Uralkali split.