Nikita Mazepin will not entertain the idea of racing under a neutral flag – even if it meant he could return to Formula 1.
The Russian racer was axed on the eve of the current season, in the wake of his country's invasion of Ukraine. His father's company, Uralkali, was also dropped by Haas as their main sponsor, as they moved quickly to remove all traces of the Russian flag from their cars and uniforms.
That was a decision made by the team, though, and not mandated by the FIA. Under the governing body's rules, drivers from Russia are allowed to continue to take part in their competitions, but they must do so under a neutral flag or one of another country for which they are eligible to compete.
Robert Shwartzman is an example – he will take part in FP1 sessions for Ferrari this year under the flag of Israel, the country of his birth. And rally driver Konstantin Zhiltsov will also bear the Israeili flag, which is something Mazepin has made clear he is not prepared to do.
"People cannot be condemned. We are athletes," he told state-owned Russian news agency RIA . "Everyone has their own choice, it must be respected. Zhiltsov is not the only one, Robert Shwartzman did the same. There is a question of personal considerations. country or not – everyone chooses for himself, but I will not do this."
Another rule drivers must follow to compete in FIA championships is to avoid saying anything in support of the ongoing invasion. He has already flouted this rule, when he described sanctions levied against Russia as "cancel culture" in a BBC interview.
"I don't agree with being in the sanctions, I've said before I agree to fight it," said Mazepin in April. "Perhaps now is not the right time. If you look at the whole situation that is happening against athletes in the general case, it's cancel culture against my country."
In the same interview he was given the opportunity to give his personal opinion on the war, but was hesitant to do so. "I will be honest with you, I just see tremendous risks in saying anything at all about this case because I will never satisfy everyone. And therefore I will keep myself publicly quiet," he said.
But the racer did add: "I live in the same world as you but it's very painful to watch that [the war] on many levels. My feelings, they obviously changed as a human being and as a person that wants to live in a peaceful world."
