Nikita Mazepin will not compete for Haas in Formula 1 this year, the team announced March 5.
The team also officially announced it has ended the title partnership contract with Uralkali.
This comes after Russia, Mazepin’s home country, invaded Ukraine last week.
“Haas F1 Team has elected to terminate, with immediate affect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin,” the team said in a statement. “As with the rest of the in Formula 1 community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict.”
Mazepin was previously approved by the FIA to race neutral, but will no longer race in F1 in 2022.
“Dear friends and followers I am very disappointed to hear that my F1 contract has been terminated,” Mazepin said on Twitter. “While I understand the difficulties, the ruling from FIA plus my ongoing willingness to accept the conditions proposed in order to continue were completely ignored and no process was followed in this unilateral step. To those who have tried to understand, my eternal thanks. I have treasured my time in F1 and genuinely hope we can all be together again in better times. I will have more to say in the coming days. Nikita.”
Earlier this week F1 ended its contract with the Russian Grand Prix. A replacement course is yet to be named.
Mazepin earned a best finish of 14th twice in his rookie season in 2021, in Azerbaijan and Hungary.
Haas has not announced who will replace Mazepin and join Mick Schumacher in 2022.
About the author
Joy joined Frontstretch in 2019 as a NASCAR DraftKings writer, expanding to news and iRacing coverage in 2020. She's currently an assistant editor and involved with photos, social media and news editing. A California native, Joy was raised watching motorsports and started watching NASCAR extensively in 2001. She earned her B.A. degree in Liberal Studies at California State University Bakersfield in 2010.
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