British justice refused Thursday to temporarily lift the sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine targeting the Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, who will therefore not be able to travel to the United Kingdom to discuss with F1 teams.
Nikita Mazepin, 24, was ousted from the Haas Formula 1 team after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In March 2022, he joined the list of Russian personalities sanctioned by London, along with his father Dmitry Mazepin, owner and CEO of the chemical manufacturer Uralchem.
Nikita Mazepin had also been sanctioned by the European Union but the President of the General Court of the EU had issued an order in March suspending part of the sanctions aimed at the pilot to allow him to compete in F1.
While looking for a new stable, Mazepin has started legal proceedings against London so that the British sanctions (freeze of assets, ban on traveling to the country) are lifted. A hearing is due to take place in July. In the meantime, his lawyers have requested a temporary lifting of the sanctions, which the judge refused on Thursday.
The judge said he was “completely convinced” that a provisional lifting of sanctions was not appropriate. Without a stable, Mazepin has not competed in F1 since the invasion of Ukraine. He wanted to go to the UK to negotiate on the spot with teams.
The British government considers Nikita Mazepin to be “associated” with his father, who was able to curry favor with the Russian government by being the head of “an entity operating in the chemical sector – a sector of strategic importance for the Russian government.
Dmitry Mazepin has supported his son’s pilot career since its inception. In 2021, Nikita Mazepin had joined F1 within the Haas team, arriving with a brand new sponsor for the team: the Russian fertilizer giant Uralkali, of which Dmitry Mazepin is a shareholder via Uralchem.
