Haas’ Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will be allowed to compete in the upcoming F1 season after the FIA confirmed that Russian and Belarusian drivers can race under a neutral flag.
Mazepin’s status in the F1 was in doubt after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The FIA held an extraordinary meeting on Tuesday where the International Olympic Committee recommended that no Russian or Belarusian athletes should be allowed to compete in any international competitions until further notice.
However, the World Motorsport Council has announced that they are not directly following that recommendation and instead will ensure that “no international/zone competition will take place in Russia and Belarus, until further notice” and ‘no flag/symbol or anthem of Russia/Belarus to be used in international/zone competitions, until further notice.
That means from the FIA’s perspective, Russian drivers like Mazepin are not going to be banned from racing in Formula 1. His seat with Haas, however, is still under threat as the team’s future with their main Russian sponsor Uralkali, owned by Nikita’s father Dmitry, is still unresolved.
FIA president Mohammed bin Sulayem said in a statement on Tuesday: “The FIA is watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and I hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation.
“We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine.”
F1 has already canceled the Russian Grand Prix, which had been scheduled to take place in Sochi on the 25th of September.
