Haas F1’s Guenther Steiner Says Nikita Mazepin’s Status ‘Needs to be Resolved’

The driver's father is not only the founder of the team's title sponsor but also has close links to Vladimir Putin.

Nikita Mazepin’s future with Haas F1 is up in the air as team principal Guenther Steiner confirmed on Friday that he will “work” on the sponsorship deal with Uralkali “next week.”

The driver is the son of the company's founder, Dmitry Mazepin, and according to ESPN, Dmitry was one of the business leaders who met with President Vladimir Putin on Thursday about the sanctions on Russia. 

As far as Nikita’s status, Steiner said on Friday, “It needs to be resolved.

“Not everything depends from us here what is happening. There's governments involved, I have no power over them, and we also need to see how the situation develops in Ukraine.”

Although Nikita was pulled from Friday's media sessions, he spoke out via Twitter.

“To my fans and followers - it's a difficult time and I am not in control over a lot of what is being said and done. I'm choosing to focus on what I CAN control by working hard and doing my best for my @HaasF1Team. My deepest thanks for your understanding and support.”

The comments come after Haas F1 announced it would drop the Uralkali livery and drive in all-white car for the final day of preseason testing in Spain. And the next morning, Formula One canceled the Russian Grand Prix as drivers vocalized their opinions on competing in a country at war.

Sebastian Vettel said he will not race in the Grand Prix if the sport decides to move forward with holding the event, while Max Verstappen called for it to be canceled.

“I think when a country is at war it’s not correct to race there, that’s for sure,” Verstappen said. “But it’s not only what I think, it’s the whole paddock [that is] going to decide what we are going to do next.”

Over the last two days, different leagues have halted their events in Russia. UEFA officially voted Friday to move the 2022 Champions League Final from St. Petersburg, Russia to Paris. On Thursday, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic jointly announced their refusal to play any upcoming World Cup qualifying playoff matches in Moscow, calling on FIFA and UEFA to move them from Russia.

Meanwhile, the ATP Tour announced Thursday it has postponed the Moscow CH 80 tournament that was scheduled to take place at the end of February. 

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