Ousted last week from the Haas Formula 1 team after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, driver Nikita Mazepin announced on Wednesday the creation of a foundation to support athletes losing their jobs "for political reasons".
This foundation "will be dedicated to helping athletes who, for political reasons beyond their control, lose their ability to compete at the highest level", explained the 23-year-old pilot during a virtual press conference.
"It will be funded by Uralkali, using the money that was earmarked for the Formula 1 partnership this season," he said.
Haas' title sponsor since 2021, the Russian group Uralkali saw its contract terminated "with immediate effect" by the American team last Saturday, at the same time as Mazepin's contract.
The shareholder of this group specializing in the production of potash is none other than the pilot's father, the Russian billionaire and oligarch Dmitry Mazepin.
“The foundation will allocate financial and non-financial resources to those athletes who have spent their lives preparing for the Olympics or Paralympics, or other high profile events, only to find that they are ultimately banned from competition and collectively sanctioned. simply because of the passport they hold,” Mazepin continued.
Mazepin was "ready to run under a neutral banner"
Haas' "unfair" decision to part ways with him "was not based on a directive from the sport's governing body or dictated by sanctions taken against me, my father or his company", he noted. , while the International Automobile Federation (FIA) has decided to allow Russian or Belarusian drivers to participate under a neutral flag.
"I was ready to run under a neutral banner," he assured, questioned about this feasibility, given the links between his father and Vladimir Putin.
For its part, denouncing in a press release an “unreasonable” decision, Uralkali “intends to protect its interests in accordance with the applicable legal procedures and reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings and to claim damages”.
“As most of the sponsorship funding for the 2022 season has already been transferred to Haas (…) Uralkali will request the immediate reimbursement of the sums received by Haas”, assure its leaders.
Sport
Formula 1: The Haas team breaks with its sponsor and fires its Russian driver Nikita Mazepin
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