Nikita Mazepin has admitted his hopes of returning to Formula 1 became more difficult after he lost a High Court case against the British government. The 24-year-old Russian hoped that the penalties imposed on him would be overturned, and the judge agreed with the government’s arguments.
As a teammate of Mick Schumacher at Haas, Mazepin began preparations for the 2022 season. After the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Haas decided not only to say goodbye to Uralkali, but also to the 24-year-old driver. The British government also imposed sanctions on the Russians. Part of the sanctions include freezing all assets in the UK and banning Mazepin from entering the country, while similar restrictions have been imposed by the European Union and Canada.
Because of the sanctions ‘ban Formula 1’
“He missed the 2022 season and almost certainly the 2023 season as well, and as long as these penalties are in place, the Formula 1 team will not hire him as a test driver, reserve or full driver,” said Mazepin’s lawyer, Rachel Scott. The question is whether Formula 1 teams are still waiting for Mazepin, because apart from external influences, the on-track performance was nothing to write home about.
setback
After being kicked out of Haas, Mazepin did everything he could to come back. The case against the British government may be lost, but Mazepin is far from over. On July 19, he will appear in court again, this time against Secretary of State James Cleverly. “I really hope to get a chance to return to Formula 1, but today it looks very difficult,” Mazepin told the news agency. TASS. “If the sanctions are lifted and things are not the way they are now, I am ready. I have a lot of lawyers who are committed to giving me a chance to get back into the sport, but at the moment there is not much success.”
