F1 could ban Nikita Mazepin in emergency meeting over Russia and Ukraine crisis

02/28/2022

Nikita Mazepin's future in Formula 1 will be discussed by the sport's bosses on Tuesday after the FIA called an emergency meeting.

A meeting of the World Motor Sport Council will be convened to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the effect it is having on sport around the world.

And, according to to the PA news agency, Mazepin's situation is set to be at the top of the agenda.

"An extraordinary meeting of the World Motor Sport Council will be convened tomorrow to discuss matters relating to the ongoing crisis in Ukraine," a spokesperson for the FIA said.

"Further updates will be given following the meeting."

The Russian racer is contracted to compete for Haas for the 2022 season, but might not be allowed to take part.

The president of the the Automobile Federation of Ukraine, Leonid Kostyuchenko, has demanded the FIA bans all Russian and Belarusian drivers from competing outside of their own countries.

If such a request were granted, Mazepin would be unable to take part in any Grands Prix in 2022 as F1 bosses have already confirmed that the Sochi race will not be going ahead.

Haas is an American-owned team, but came under fire after war broke out in Ukraine over its links with Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin – the driver's father.

His fertiliser company Uralkali was the title sponsor of the team, with its logo featuring heavily across the livery of the Haas cars – the colours of the Russian flag were also part of the design.

However, the livery and all traces of Uralkali had been removed from the cars for the final day in pre-season testing in Barcelona last Friday.

Uralkali has not yet been officially dropped as a sponsor, though that is likely to change in the coming days as team principal Gunther Steiner insisted that the team would be able to survive financially without the mega-money deal.

Steiner also said he could make no guarantees over the future of Mazepin as a driver for the team, with his father's sponsorship set to disappear and the FIA possibly banning him from competition.

If Mazepin were banned or otherwise dropped from the team, Haas would have less than three weeks to find a replacement ahead of the season curtain-raiser in Bahrain on the weekend of March 18-20.

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