Haas has decided to terminate with immediate effect, the title partnership of Ukralkali and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin. It expressed regret over the Ukraine invasion, along with the rest of the F1 community and wished for a swift resolution to the situation. 

Earlier, when the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) had announced it would let Russian and Belarusian drivers race without displaying their country’s flags or colours anywhere. At the time, Mazepin was supposed to race in Bahrain as part of the Haas team this month. The F1 driver had also appealed to fans on social media, saying, “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”. 

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After the Russian attack on Ukraine, F1 decided to cancel the Russian Grand Prix, the 17th game of the 2022 season, which was supposed to take place in Sochi. It then went on to terminate the contract with the Russian Grand Prix altogether. 

Further, Sebastian Vettel, the four-time Formula 1 champion had also noted that he wouldn’t be participating in the Russian Grand Prix over the country’s actions against Ukraine. He said, “I woke up to this morning’s news shocked. I think it’s horrible to see what is happening. Obviously if you look at the calendar we have a race scheduled in Russia. My own opinion is I should not go, I will not go. I think it’s wrong to race in the country. I’m sorry for the innocent people that are losing their lives, that are getting killed (for) stupid reasons and a very strange and mad leadership”.

Also Read | Paralympics 2022: Ukrainian athletes dedicate their medals to their country for peace

Russia has faced pushback from the rest of the sporting world as well, with FIFA and UEFA ousting all clubs and national teams from its competitions.