Mazepin: Personal lawsuit against Haas now 'in full swing'

Ousted Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin says litigation against his former team is now "in full swing", with Switzerland the chosen court's jurisdiction.

In the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, Haas unilaterally terminated its sponsorship contract with Uralkali and parted ways with Mazepin, whose father, oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, is a majority shareholder of the chemical giant.

Immediately following the termination of the deal between the two parties, Uralkali sought a repayment by Haas of $13 million worth of sponsorship monies received by the American team from its Russian partner.

Haas not only rejected that claim, but the team is seeking from Uralkali $8.6 million in compensation for "loss of profits", with litigation ongoing.

But Mazepin is also personally having his day in court, independently from Uralkali, as he undertakes to sue Haas for unpaid wages.

• Read also: Haas not getting 'overenthusiastic' over recent run of points

"My personal lawsuits are in full swing," he told Match.TV. "We have already selected the jurisdiction – the place where the contract was signed, in Switzerland.

"The lawyers have filled out all the paperwork and the lawsuit has been filed for review. If I’m summoned, I will take part, but I don’t think that will happen."

Last month, Mazepin revealed that he ambitions to return to F1, although he admitted that it would likely take a miracle for him to return to the grid.

Alas, the young Russian is likely to remain labeled "a former F1 driver" for the remainder of his motorsport career. But Mazepin takes no umbrage at the designation.

"There is a reason why there are only 20 places and 10 teams in Formula 1," he said. "I don’t have a valid contract. When I crossed the line in 2022, I had one.

"And it’s generally an amazing situation in the history of the series when you have a contract until the new year and then you lose it.

"But I’m all for honesty, I’m used to calling things by their proper name. I focus on the fact there are great opportunities to get a contract in Formula 1 in the future.

"I’m 23 years old, if you look at my results in Formula 3 and Formula 2, with time and experience I make a much bigger jump than my rivals. And based on that experience, I look forward to tomorrow with confidence."

Mazepin says he still closely follows the sport and watches the races on TV.

"I watched the Austrian Grand Prix, I tried to watch all the races I could catch on the broadcasts," he said.

"I like Formula 1 very much but now I do more analysing, sharing my thoughts with a narrow circle of people. Looking from the outside is also an experience."

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