The Haas Components One crew has terminated its contract with Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and title sponsor Uralkali.

The choice was taken within the wake of Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and means no Russians are signed as much as drive in F1 forward of the brand new season.

“Haas F1 Group has elected to terminate, with quick impact, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the motive force contract of Nikita Mazepin,” the crew mentioned in a press release. “As with the remainder of the Components One group, the crew is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and desires for a swift and peaceable finish to the battle.”

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The game’s governing physique, the FIA, had stored open the potential for Mazepin racing in F1 this 12 months when it introduced earlier this week that Russian and Belarusian drivers could be allowed to proceed to compete in worldwide motorsport so long as they raced underneath a impartial flag and agreed to not specific any assist of Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Nevertheless, Haas introduced Saturday that the cope with Mazepin and Uralkali had been terminated, with the crew saying information on a substitute driver would observe subsequent week.

Mazepin joined Haas at first of 2021 as a part of a sponsorship cope with Russian fertilizer firm Uralkali, which is part-owned by his father Dmitry through his firm Uralchem.

Dmitry Mazepin was one of many enterprise leaders who met with Russian President Vladimir Putin on the Kremlin in Moscow final week to debate sanctions positioned on the nation following the invasion of Ukraine.

The Uralkali deal helped Haas safe its funds forward of the 2021 season and resulted in a title sponsorship settlement that noticed the automobile painted within the colors of the Russian flag.

On the ultimate day of the this 12 months’s first preseason take a look at in Barcelona final week, the Uralkali livery and branding was faraway from the automobile, though Mazepin continued to drive the VF22 as deliberate.

Talking on the ultimate day of final week’s take a look at, as soon as the livery had been modified, Haas crew principal Guenther Steiner mentioned the crew would be capable of survive with out the Mazepins’ cash.

“Financially we’re OK,” Steiner mentioned final week. “It has no implementation on the crew, how we’re working it, how we’re doing, how we plan the season.

“There are extra methods to get the funding. So there is not any situation with that.”

F1 introduced Thursday that it had terminated its deal to carry a race in Russia, that means the nation won’t host a grand prix for the foreseeable future.