F1 outcast Nikita Mazepin believes he will have the chance to return to the sport once Russia's invasion of Ukraine comes to an end.
The Russian racer was axed by Haas just weeks before the start of the season, after Vladimir Putin ordered his forces to cross the border into Ukraine. The team also cut ties with main sponsor Uralkali, a fertiliser firm owned by his oligarch father Dmitry.
While Haas chose to cut their ties with the racer, Russian motorsport stars have been given permission to compete under a neutral flag by the FIA. It means Mazepin is still allowed to compete in Formula 1 should another team choose to take a chance on him.
And the 23-year-old believes that is a real possibility, revealing that he is keeping himself sharp in case someone comes calling. "I have confidence that in the future it will be possible to return," he told Russian newspaper Sport-Express. "Therefore, I am at the same weight and have kept myself in good physical shape, so if such a challenge arises I will be able to take advantage of it.
"I want to note that the FIA allows me under certain conditions. Sport should unite and athletes from different countries should be able to compete with the best. I have always been guided by the principle that when you put on a helmet, you have no skin colour or belong to any particular state."
Mazepin, who scored zero points in his one and only season in F1 to date, went on to take a thinly-veiled swipe at his former employers, as he insisted that Haas' decision to cut him loose would have no sway over the rest of the teams on the grid. "Formula 1 is a private business, with the decisions made by the teams themselves," added the Russian.
"At Haas, one and a half people take them – Guenther [Steiner] and Gene [Haas] when he is interested. Therefore, I would not associate my situation with Formula 1. They did not exclude me from anything."
Even if he is never given the chance to live his F1 dream again as a driver, Mazepin said he plans on being involved in the business side of the sport in the future. For now though he is focussed on being a driver, though he is not keen on a move to the USA to take part in a series where many former F1 driver's tend to go.
"Top teams are worth several billion dollars and I think that someday I will come to be a part of this industry as a businessman," said Mazepin. "But I'm not going to rush into it.
"I'm not interested in Indycar – of course, I cannot say what will happen tomorrow but all my life I wanted to get into Formula 1. I got there, but as they say, appetite comes with eating and I have no doubt about what I could do in a competitive car."
