Russian drivers, including Haas F1’s Nikita Mazepin, to race under FIA flag

The 2022 F1 grid will not be bereft of Nikita Mazepin after the FIA confirmed that Russian and Belarusian drivers will be allowed to race in a neutral capacity.

An official statement from the FIA read as follows:

“Russian/Belarusian drivers, individual competitors and officials to participate in international/zone competitions only in their neutral capacity and under the “FIA flag”, subject to specific commitment and adherence to the FIA’s principles of peace and political neutrality, until further notice.”

Following the cancelation of the 2022 Russian Grand Prix, the eligibility of Russian drivers was in doubt after the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by Vladimir Putin's forces.

The International Olympic Committee, FIFA, and UEFA have come down with a slew of harsh sanctions as a result of the same. Russian teams and athletes have been banned from all competitions by the aforementioned administrative authorities.

The severity of their stance, however, was not replicated by the FIA. New president Mohammed Ben Sulayem addressed the FIA World Motorsport Council (WMSC) meeting on the matter, where he said:

“As you know, the FIA is watching the developments in Ukraine with sadness and shock and I hope for a swift and peaceful resolution to the present situation. We condemn the Russian invasion of Ukraine and our thoughts are with all those suffering as a result of the events in Ukraine. I would like to stress that the FIA, together with our promoters, proactively acted on this matter last week and communicated accordingly on the Formula 1, Formula 2, WTCR and the International Drifting Cup. An updated version of the different FIA International Calendars will be presented to the WMSC meeting in Bahrain for approval.”

While this means Nikita Mazepin could feature in the sport, his fate with the Haas F1 team is still battling uncertainty after the American team dropped its main sponsor Uralkali. Uralkali is a subsidiary of Uralchem Integrated Chemicals, a Russian company owned and run by the driver's father, Dmitry Mazepin, who is allegedly one of the prime Russian oligarchs in close contact with Vladimir Putin.

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F1 pundit 'disappointed' by FIA's stance on Russian drivers in light of Ukraine invasion

Former F1 driver-turned-pundit Karun Chandhok revealed he was left disappointed by the FIA's decision to allow Russian and Belarusian drivers to race in the sport with a neutral flag.

Chandhok, like many social media users, was expecting a strict ban to be imposed on drivers of the two nationalities as a consequence of the ongoing military conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Shortly after the FIA made their decision public, Chandhok took to social media to voice his displeasure on the subject.

Should Mazepin and Haas F1 part ways, reports suggest Pietro Fittipaldi, grandson of former F1 world champion Emerson Fittipaldi, could be approached to replace him.