Nikita Mazepin lost his seat in Formula 1 partly due to the invasion of Russia over Ukraine. Also for a sporting reason. But the war precipitated his departure from the Haas team.
Now, almost a year after that outing, he has spoken about the conflict for the first time. ensures that it is maintained “neutral” because it is “what sport should do”. Some important statements because no Russian athlete has spoken in this way.
In a statement published this Thursday, he spoke about how he lives the war: “I live this situation in the same way and every day I go through all this by myself and I discuss it with my loved ones.”
“Like many of you, I find support in some of my friends and I can’t find it from other close friends. Even if we disagree with each other and passionately defend our point of view, it is still an environment of trust,” says Mazepin.
He denounces his departure from the competition, affirming that the sport “should not depend on external eventsincluding politicians”: “I hope that one day the sport will become open, friendly…”.
“We must understand that the politicization of sports will lead to a split, not only in the entire sports and Olympic movement, but will also affect all social spheres of life in the future. Therefore, sport must remain a neutral territory and I, as a representative of this section, must also remain neutral”, the Russian has sentenced.