What alternatives do Haas have if Mazepin is fired?
Haas F1 Media
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Nikita Mazepin has come under heavy fire and a petition has even been launched to get him out of Formula 1. There's no point in relying entirely on a bio or Social Media, but what are the options for Haas if they want to turn Mazepin away?
The story of the bios
In recent weeks there has been a lot happening on social media. Valtteri Bottas and George Russell changed their bios and so people wondered if something was going on. In the case of Mercedes, nothing turned out to be the case and the marketing departments of Mercedes and Red Bull Racing had a lot of fun about this.
Now on Reddit and also on Twitter, a change to the bio of Pietro Fittipaldi is being reported. A hint at a possible change? It doesn't seem so, as it is likely the Brazilian adjusted this for when he replaced Romain Grosjean in the final two races of the season.
Haas F1 team, particularly those at the top are becoming increasingly worried about the reputation of the Haas brand and relationship between several sponsors due to negative media from Mazepin video. Alternatives are beginning to be ‘seriously considered’. #F1 #Haas #Mazepin pic.twitter.com/ekI4M8cZyr
— Marco Rossi (@MarcoRossiEN) December 21, 2020
The possible successors
Yet there is more to Nikita Mazepin. According to Marco Rossi, a former reporter for Marca and ESPN, people at the top of Haas are afraid of the image damage and cooperation with various sponsors. Haas have announced that they want to solve this internally, but with everything that is said and written about Mazepin online, that seems almost impossible.
Now the question is who could replace Mazepin? If Haas decides to break ties with Mazepin, money has to come in some other way. Haas didn't choose Mazepin for nothing.
One of the options is to take another driver from the Ferrari program. By hiring drivers of the Ferrari training, Haas is doing Ferrari a favour and can thus receive a discount on engines and parts. Callum Ilott is the most experienced option and with a second place in the F2 standings, it is the most logical, although Robert Shwartzman could also be an option.
Still a driver with experience
A return for Kevin Magnussen or Romain Grosjean doesn't seem logical, as both don't have a huge pot of money. The same applies to Nico Hulkenberg, who also remained out of harm's way for 2021 after the Red Bull Racing deal. Alexander Albon is perhaps a strong outsider for the seat.
Haas no longer has many options, but another option is Daniil Kvyat. Kvyat has been supported from Russia for years and would be an ideal driver for Haas next to the inexperienced Mick Schumacher. Kvyat has been thrown out of the Red Bull program for the umpteenth time and could perhaps make a fresh start at Haas.
The last option is Pietro Fittipaldi. With his name and Brazilian nationality, there will be no shortage of money, but his two races were not that impressive and his history in motorsport does not show great results either. However, Haas has opted for the money route this year, so who knows, Pietro might be the ideal choice.
Nikita Mazepin's story remains tricky. You wouldn't really want a driver like that in Formula 1, but does Haas have a choice? Now that Mazepin has not been thrown out immediately. Haas don't have many options left.
This article was written and originally published by Tim on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.