The American team Haas announced on Saturday that it had terminated the contract which bound it to the Muscovite, son of a close friend of Vladimir Putin. So far, the 23-year-old driver has distinguished himself more by his inappropriate behavior than by his performance.
A year following arriving in Formula 1, Nikita Mazepin already out. The American team Haas has indicated that it is terminating the pilot’s contract. Since the invasion of Ukraine by Russia, the future of this Moscow driver – who came last in the standings in 2021 with no points scored and five retirements – seemed to be in dotted lines. The British Motorsports Federation had already announced that no Russian or Belarusian driver will compete in the UK. That of Ukraine is pressuring the International Automobile Federation to ban them completely. For the moment, it allows them to participate under neutral flag.
The case was all the more delicate because of the filiation is the son of Dmitry Mazepin, a billionaire and oligarch close to Vladimir Putin. It is moreover thanks to his father that he returned to Formula 1, within the American team Haas: Dmitry Mazepin is one of the main shareholders of Uralkali, a Russian company specializing in potash, which has become the team’s first sponsor in 2021. To compensate for the departure of Frenchman Romain Grosjean, Haas has agreed to recruit young Nikita Mazepin, a bit boosted by his father. The sponsorship contract was revoked at the same time as that of the pilot.
Pots and fights
The breach of contract is a strong gesture on the part of Haas who, on the brink of the financial abyss, received 15 to 20 million euros per season thanks to the help of the Russian company. The decision announced on Saturday was nevertheless preceded by warning signs. During pre-season testing in Barcelona on Friday, Haas removed the Uralkali logo that his car usually wears, suggesting a breach of contract.
A scenario which therefore also precipitated the departure of Nikita Mazepin. Which will not really be a big loss for Formula 1, as the young Russian has distinguished himself by his blunders and his inappropriate behavior. In December 2020, a week following the formalization of his arrival in the competition, he posted on his Instagram a video of him touching the chest of a visibly alcoholic and non-consenting woman. In embarrassment, Haas, who had just recruited Mick Schumacher (son of Michael) at the same time, published a press release condemning this sexual assault.
This behavior is not isolated: Mazepin had stood out by participating in several brawls with his competitors when he was in lower championships or, on social networks, by commenting with an amused emoji on a racist remark aimed at the driver. Japanese Yuki Tsunoda or making homophobic remarks. Even before he made his Grand Prix debut, the hashtags #MazepinOut and #WeDontWantMazepin were popping up on the internet. A petition demanding its withdrawal is even launched and collects nearly 50,000 signatures.
Memes and “MazeSpin”
The initiative will remain a dead letter, neither the FIA nor Haas deciding to suspend it, and on March 28, 2021, Nikita Mazepin is on the starting grid for the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first of the season. But his race was disastrous: a badly negotiated turn caused him to spin which sent him off the track and forced him to retire. From the third round. His Formula 1 career has barely begun and he is already the laughing stock of fans. The latter give him the nickname “MazeSpin”, a contraction of his name and “spin” which means “to turn” in English. It must be said that counting those in pre-season and in qualifying for this first Grand Prix, the Russian is already six spins. Jokes and memes ridiculing him are piling up. A site doing the count of all his skids during the season is even created.
A mediocrity that has almost made him sympathetic in the eyes of the general public, making people forget his abusive attitudes. From hothead hated by everyone, Nikita Mazepin has become a character that we like to mock or even support, some pointing out that he is not responsible for the choices of the government of his country. So ex-driver Helmut Marko, who became an executive of the Red Bull Racing team (which counts the 2021 world champion Max Verstappen among its riders), who came to the defense of the young Russian. “It is not necessary to exclude him because of his nationality”, he said, comparing his case with that of world number 1 tennis player Daniil Medvedev who was not ruled out. With this difference that he did not reach the top level thanks to the help of a company close to the Kremlin…
Update : Saturday March 5 with the announcement of the termination of the contract between Mazepin and Haas