Haas removed the sponsorship of Russian company Uralkali, which is owned by Mazepin's father Dmitry, from their car for Friday's pre-season testing in Barcelona; F1 announced the cancellation of this year's Russian Grand Prix earlier on Friday
Friday 25 February 2022 13:49, UK
Haas boss Gunther Steiner has acknowledged Russian driver Nikita Mazepin's future with the team is uncertain amid the country's invasion of Ukraine.
The 22-year-old was signed to a race seat last year as part of a title sponsorship deal the US-owned team struck with Russian potash producer Uralkali, owned by his billionaire father Dmitry Mazepin.
F1 bosses announced on Friday lunchtime that this year's Russian Grand Prix, scheduled for September, has been cancelled as it is "impossible" to hold under "current circumstances".
Haas removed all Uralkali branding and the usual red, white and blue livery from their car for the final day of pre-season testing in Barcelona, with Mazepin taking to the track in the solely white vehicle on Friday morning in Spain.
Despite his appearance on track, Mazepin was withdrawn from a scheduled appearance at a drivers' press conference on Friday lunchtime, with Steiner instead facing the media in a specially arranged appearance of his own, during which he confirmed discussions are to be had over both the future of the team's Russian sponsor and driver.
"Yeah, it needs to be resolved," Steiner told reporters when asked about Mazepin's future.
"As I said before, not everything depends from us here.
"There is more than the F1 team involved, there are governments involved, so I have no idea what is coming from that side."
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday launched an invasion of Ukraine, which by Friday afternoon had reached the capital city of Kyiv, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy reporting 137 deaths.
In a separate interview with Sky Sports, Steiner said that as things stood the team planned to have Mazepin driving at next month's test in Bahrain, but admitted the decision could be taken out of their hands.
"At the moment we want to continue but there are external things that could happen which I'm not in control of," Steiner said.
"Therefore saying what exactly could happen in the coming weeks, months, but at the moment he is planned to be in Bahrain.
"If circumstance comes in place, we have to obey to them. I don't want to get ahead of myself, they first have to come and then we react."
Steiner said the future of the team's relationship with Uralkali would be worked on next week, but insisted that Haas would be financially stable even if they had to cut ties with the Russian firm.
"It's not something which disturbs the team of the competition side and financially we are okay," Steiner said.
"There is more ways to get the funding so there is no issue with that one."
Mazepin, who told Sky Sports on Wednesday - before Russia's invasion of Ukraine - that he is a "supporter of sports without politics", has been the subject of online abuse this week.
Steiner insisted the abuse should stop, pointing out that his driver has nothing to do with the situation in his homeland.
"It should stop," Steiner said. "Everybody needs to be aware he's not part of this.
"Yes, he's Russian, he's collateral damage, but he was not involved in any of this. A 22 year old... it's not his fault."
