Russian flop axed from F1 slammed after fresh complaints over being 'cancelled'

04 October 2023 , 17:47

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Nikita Mazepin is frustrated over a lack of racing opportunities since his F1 axe (Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Nikita Mazepin moaned again about the lack of racing opportunities presented to him since he was axed from Formula 1.

The Russian racer competed in the sport for one season and failed to score a point for Haas. He was due to get a second year with the team regardless, but was axed after Russia launched its invasion of Ukraine last February.

The impact on Mazepin and his family was much more significant than that. Both he and his oligarch father Dmitry were sanctioned by the United Kingdom and the European Union over their ties to Russian warmonger Vladimir Putin.

His access to European soil has, as a result, been extremely limited. The 24-year-old lodged an appeal with the High Court in the hope of being allowed to enter the UK to speak with F1 teams over a potential return. But he lost that legal fight in June.

Clearly, he remains frustrated over how his career has been affected. In a new social media post, Mazepin posted images of himself going through fitness testing and driving on a simulator as he bemoaned the restrictions against him.

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"It's been nearly 600 days since my last trip to Europe for F1 tests in Barcelona. For now, Europe remains closed to me. I was allowed into Italy on a national visa, but that was as far as I was permitted to go," he wrote.

"It would seem that the journey should be a lot faster in the modern world, but that's the way it is. As though I'm walking there. Of course, none of this helps the development of a sporting career, when you can't move around freely and participate in negotiations.

"But the need to train and prepare for competitions remains, so I have been working on my health and on keeping myself in shape. I won't stop working on behalf of all cancelled athletes either, including myself."

Mazepin's complaints drew criticism from commenters, including one who replied: "You had a chance to stand up for Russia's brutality in Ukraine, but you did not. You had a chance to condemn it but you did not." Another simply pointed out: "Nikita, there are people dying."

Haas replaced Mazepin with Kevin Magnussen at short notice and the Dane went on to score 25 points over the course of the season. He also secured the American team's first ever F1 pole position, at the Brazilian Grand Prix, but did not finish the race after colliding with Daniel Ricciardo on the opening lap.

Daniel Moxon