The Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, expelled from Haas, the American team of Forumla 1 (F1), after the invasion of Ukraine, was authorized by the European justice to compete in the countries that make up the bloc of 27, advanced this Thursday to the AFP.
Nikita Mazepin, along with his father, the oligarch Dimitry Mazepin, appears on the list of Russian personalities sanctioned by the European Union (EU) in March 2022, for being “a relative of an influential businessman active in economic sectors that constitute a substantial source revenue” for Russia.
Dimitry Mazepin is the owner and president of the chemical manufacturer Uralchem, a company that owns shares in the Uralkali group, which began sponsoring Haas in 2021, when Nikita joined the team.
A lawyer for Nikita stressed to the French news agency (AFP) that this “rare” decision by the General Court of the European Union (TGUE) allows the pilot to travel to the European Union to try to sign a contract with a team and, if he has success, participate in any motorsport competition, including F1, on European soil.
Even so, the court imposed a series of rules, from the outset, Nikita has to “commit to running under a neutral flag” and sign the commitment of pilots required by the International Automobile Federation for this purpose.
“I am very happy with this decision, which gives me hope to resume my professional career in international motorsport. I will do everything possible to make up for lost time and look forward to getting back to the sport that I love, to which I have dedicated myself. my life”, the athlete reacted to AFP.
The TGUE concluded that Nikita Mazepin “is not involved in any way in the aggression suffered by Ukraine and does not carry out any activity in economic sectors that provide a substantial source of income” for Russia, noting that the pilot “has always maintained a neutral position in war as a professional athlete.
The office also stressed that Nikita “solely requests that he be given the opportunity to pursue his career (…) without the financial support of his father.”
In support of its decision, the court also found that the European Council, which challenged this request, did not “provide convincing evidence” that the former Haas driver “should still be considered linked to his father.”
In April 2022, the Italian authorities bankrupted a ‘villa’ of more than 100 million euros linked to Nikita Mazepin, following the sanctions imposed by the EU member states on Russia following the military offensive launched on February 24, 2022 over Ukraine.
Source: TSF
