Russian Nikita Mazepin, who was fired by Haas in March 2022 after his home country invaded Ukraine, is fighting British sanctions as he tries to revive his career as a Formula 1 driver, Reuters reports.

Nikita Mazepin is fighting sanctions to return to Formula 1

Haas also severed ties with his main sponsor, Uralkali, a Russian fertilizer manufacturer then controlled by Nikita’s father, the Belarusian oligarch Dmytro Mazepin.

Both were later sanctioned by the European Union (which called Dmytro Mazepin “a member of Vladimir Putin’s inner circle”), as well as Great Britain and Canada.

Nikita Mazepin, 24, is trying to get British sanctions lifted so he can negotiate with Formula 1 teams to return to the sport in 2024.

Great Britain imposed an asset freeze and travel ban on Mazepin, which his lawyers told the High Court in London on Wednesday prevented him from negotiating with teams.

His lawyer, Rachel Scott, said Mazepin wanted his appeal to be heard “urgently” because of the need to repair his relationship with team personnel before the 2024 season if he is offered a contract.

Mazepin also denies sanctions from the EU and Canada as part of his bid to return to Formula 1.

Scott said Europe’s second-highest court temporarily lifted some EU sanctions in March, allowing him to attend a specialized training center in Italy.

Mazepin said that “even if – or as long as – the Canadian sanctions remain in place, there is at least the prospect that I could enter into negotiations to return to Formula 1 if the sanctions are lifted in both the EU and the UK”.

However, British Foreign Office lawyers argued that Mazepin could still hold talks with F1 teams while the sanctions were in place.

Another hearing is expected in June to decide whether the sanctions can be temporarily lifted pending Mazepin’s full appeal, which will be heard in July.

Reference: Russian Nikita Mazepin, dismissed by Haas, refuses to return to Formula 1 under a neutral flag: “I will not surrender my country”