Formula 1 | Nikita Mazepin, laid off from Haas stable, starts offering legal aid to shelved Russian athletes

Former Haas stable F1 driver, Russian Nikita Mazepin says he will begin offering legal assistance to athletes who have been shelved after Russia invaded Ukraine.

Mazepin was shelved from the Haas stable last Saturday precisely because of the war in Ukraine. The stable also terminated the sponsorship agreement with the Russian Uralkali. The main owner of Uralkali is Mazepin’s father Dmitri Mazepinwhich requires a refund of sponsorship money paid for this period.

Racefans site according to Mazepin, he published a message on social media in which he also talks about his own situation.

“As you know, I lost my contract to compete in Formula 1 this year. First Son [Kansainvälinen autourheiluliitto] allowed me to compete as a neutral athlete, but the team canceled my contract. ”

Now he wants to help other athletes who are in the same situation. In practice, these are Russian and Belarusian athletes.

“I have decided to set up a foundation to support athletes who have lost the opportunity to compete at the highest level on a non-athletic basis,” Mazepin says.

“We provide jobs, financial support, psychological help and legal assistance in cases where an athlete wants to discuss their position. The name of the foundation will be ‘We Compete As One’ [Kilpailemme yhtenä]. ”

The name of the foundation strongly resembles the theme of “We Race As One” used in F1 competitions, which is related to equality and, among other things, the fight against racism.

Funds saved from the sponsorship of the Haas stable will be used to finance the foundation.