Haas has torn up the contract of driver Nikita Mazepin and abandoned title sponsor Uralkali, as the Formula 1 world continues to protest against Russia’s war on Ukraine.
Mazepin is Russian and his dad, Dmitry, is not only the owner of Uralkali but a close associate of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
It remains unclear who will partner Mick Schumacher at Haas in the 2022 world championship, but that is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
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The first signs of the Russian invasion rattling Haas saw the American team strip away its Uralkali name and logo from its cars, as well as its Russia-inspired red, white and blue colours, for the final day of Barcelona pre-season testing. The team instead wheeled out an all-white livery.
The news of Haas booting Mazepin and Uralkali comes less than a week after Formula 1 terminated its Russian Grand Prix contract.
Haas released a blunt statement in revealing its termination of the Mazepin and Uralkali contracts.
“As with the rest of the 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,” a Haas statement reads.
The official pre-season testing, to be held in Bahrain, will begin on Thursday.
Bahrain will then host the opening race of the season on the weekend of March 18-20.
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