Former F1 Driver Nikita Mazepin Taking Legal Action To Return To The Sport
Nikita Mazepin, the former Russian driver for Haas F1 Team, is taking legal action against the Canadian government to have his sanctions lifted in hopes of making a potential comeback to the sport in 2024. Mazepin's hopes for a return to the Grand Prix are currently in limbo after he was dropped by Haas during the 2022 pre-season due to the sanctions imposed on Russian sportspeople following the invasion of Ukraine.
On top of this Mazepin and his father Dmitry were placed on EU sanctions lists for their close ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, with Dmitry being rumoured to have had a say in the invasion of the country.
Mazepin was granted temporary relief against the EU sanctions, but he is now taking the Canadian government and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to Federal Court with the hopes to have his name removed from the sanctions list in the country so he can return to the F1 grid.
The young driver's application to the court states that he had no involvement in the aggression suffered by Ukraine and that the sanctions "catastrophically reduce" his chances of a return to Formula 1. This is down to him being unable to race in the Grand Prix held in Montreal, which could ultimately harm his and his team's points.
Mazepin didn't blow the F1 world away with his performance when he was driving for the American team, with many nicknaming the driver 'Maze-spin'. In fact, he wasn't able to best his P14 finish at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and finished 21 in the 2021 Driver Standings with no points to his name anyway.
Joly missed a 90-day deadline to respond to Mazepin's initial request for removal from the sanctions list in December 2022, with Mazepin claiming that he has been denied "natural justice" as he has not been given the opportunity to present his case.
Of course, if this application is accepted, he'll find it very difficult to return to the grid anyway, with his behaviour on and off the track not reflecting well for his return.