Wolff: Mazepin can drive and deserves a place in F1
Mercedes-AMG championship team boss Toto Wolff has decided to stand up for Nikita Mazepin, who lost his seat at the Haas team after just one Formula 1 season.
The Russian was associated with the German manufacturer's team in 2019-2020, participating in a series of private tests behind the wheel of championship machinery. Mazepin even took part in the official test session in Barcelona, where he proved to be the fastest of the bunch.
"I'm torn because Nikita is a guy who deserves to be in Formula 1, he knows how to drive," Wolff said of his former protégé.
The Austrian's statement is surprising because until recently he had a different opinion about the Russian. When, at the end of 2020 - just after Mazepin had been embroiled in a cheating scandal - Mercedes-AMG abruptly refused to test his current car with their Formula E drivers instead, Wolff said that the team wanted to "learn something from the test".
Despite his sudden sympathy for Mazepin, Wolff supports sanctions against Russian athletes: "As you can see, some sports leagues have decided to allow Russian athletes to compete, and some have taken a stronger stance by denying them participation. I think this is difficult for an athlete, but you can understand that it has to do with support for strong sanctions."
The Mercedes-AMG team boss also commented on the war in Ukraine: "I'm Austrian and Vienna is only 400 km from Ukraine. Who would have thought that we would see another war in Europe? Formula 1 and sport are microscopic in this context. We decided not to race in Sochi and I think F1 has taken a strong stance, like many other industries. This is the prevailing theme and it puts into perspective everything that annoys us about the sport and that there are much more important issues."
"We have Ukrainians and Russians on the team. It's certainly not easy for anyone who has families there. These are difficult times. Having parents of Slavic descent, I feel that what is happening is close to my heart."
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