(Las Vegas) The business relationship between the Haas F1 team and its sponsor and its Russian pilot became unsustainable in the context of the invasion of Ukraine by the regime of Vladimir Putin, justified Sunday the American owner of the Formula 1 team.
Posted at 6:08 p.m.
Gene Haas also assured that his team was in a stable financial situation despite the decision to cut its ties with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and sponsor Uralkali. This Russian company specializing in fertilizers is owned by the father of Mazepin, a close friend of President Putin.
“There was a lot of criticism about the invasion of Ukraine and it was becoming unsustainable. We can’t handle this and our other sponsors can’t handle this,” Haas told The Associated Press on the track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway.
For the duration of winter testing in Bahrain, the logo of Haas Automation, the CNC machining company founded by Haas, will be affixed to the team cars. And the wheel will be entrusted to reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi. It has not been specified whether this replacement will be permanent or not.
“We are in the process of evaluating several candidates, we will see who is available and what that entails, but we will have someone by Wednesday, added Haas. Pietro will definitely be there, that’s what he’s here for, he’s our test rider. »
Fittipaldi is the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi. He took part in two F1 races with the Haas team in 2020 replacing Romain Grosjean who was nursing an injury. The 25-year-old pilot was born in Miami and has dual American and Brazilian citizenship.
But the fact that he is invited to the Bahrain trials does not mean that Fittipaldi will be Mick Schumacher’s teammate this season. Last season, Haas bet on two rookies in Mazepin and Schumacher, the son of seven-time world champion Michael Schumacher.
Haas’ business strategy led to a difficult season in 2021 as the two young drivers were relegated to the back of the grid. A new car and an improved engine could, however, make the team more competitive this season. Haas also believes that the young Shumacher, 22, has everything to become a great international star.
“I think obviously, we would like to have someone with a little more experience, conceded the boss in an interview with AP. We just have to take the time to determine who is available. »
Haas pointed out that his machining company has always been the main sponsor of the F1 team and that Russian partner Uralkali was only the “title sponsor” for the 2021 season, when the cars adopted a new design. borrowing the colors of the Russian flag.
During the last tests in Barcelona, the Haas team had to urgently remove all references to Russia on its cars and facilities. The cars eventually ran with an all-white chassis.