Bild: 'Haas F1 did not yet seek contact with Hulkenberg as Mazepin replacement'
General
- GPblog.com
Nikita Mazepin must fear for his spot within the team of Haas F1 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Nico Hulkenberg could be one of the names on the list of the American racing stable, but as of yet Haas F1 has not contacted the German veteran.
This is according to the Bild who reported this on Tuesday. The German outlet calls Hülkenberg a logical choice because he is experienced and also already knows the new 2022 cars. After all, he has done a lot of simulator work for the Aston Martin team as a reserve driver. However, a rapprochement attempt has so far failed to materialise.
Emergency meeting FIA
This is not so strange, as the FIA has scheduled a new emergency meeting for today (Tuesday) and it is logical that Haas F1 will want to wait for it. Subject of discussion will of course be the situation in Ukraine and indirectly also the position of Mazepin. It could well be that Mazepin will not be granted a residence permit in the countries where Grands Prix are held. At that moment it becomes impossible for Haas F1 to continue driving with Mazepin.
However, it is questionable whether the team of team boss Guenther Steiner wants that. Main sponsor Uralkali seems to have been permanently parted ways, which means that the millions Mazepin brings with him could be lost. Mazepin's father is in fact one of the leaders of the Russian company. Haas F1 would thus see some 25 to 30 million euros go up in smoke annually, according to Bild. Mazepin is not at Haas F1 because of his performance, but purely because of the money. If that element falls away...