F1 EXCLUSIVE: Haas won't seek ‘quick fix’ after Nikita Mazepin sponsor fallout

Haas will not allow the Uralkali fallout to force the team into finding a “quick fix” replacement for a F1 title sponsor, insists team principal Gunther Steiner.
Guenther Steiner (ITA) Haas F1 Team
Guenther Steiner (ITA) Haas F1 Team

The American outfit has been left without a title sponsor for 2022 after terminating its prꦗevious deal with Uralkali and Russian driver Nikita Mazepin's contract in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine at the end of February. 

It marked the second successive title sponsor for Haas that has lasted 12 months or less, with the team cutting ties with previous partner Rich Energy - headed by th♓e outspoken and eccentric William Storey - just 14 races into the 2019 season after experiencing a volatile relationship.

Speaking exclusively to wuqian0821.com ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix at Imola, Steiner insisted there is “no timeline” for Haas to find a ne🐻w title sponsor. 

“Absolutely no timeline,” Ste🅘iner said. “If we find one quick that would be fantastic﷽ but it needs to be for the right reasons. We don’t want just a quick fix at the moment. 

“We want a mid-to-long-term partner that goes with us and stays with us. That is the aim and obviously we learned our lessons from the past and 🍒try to apply them.

“You learn o🃏ut of things you’ve done before and we don’t want to replicate them anymo💎re.”

Nikita Mazepin (RUS) Haas F1 Team
Nikita Mazepin (RUS) Haas F1 Team

When asked if the controversy surrounding the previous deals had made Haas more wary or changed its approach to finding new sponsors in any way, Steiner re⛄plied: “No, the process is always the same. You try to always do your best and🏅 we always try to do better than before.” 

Haas waiting for ‘best package’ 

Speaking in a separate media session, Steiner stressed a deal would not solely be based on money but also making sure it is the best overall “package” for Haas.&nbs♕p;

“We are waiting for the best package,” Steiner explained. “It’s a combination of things; th🎶e best offer, the best sponsor. 

"Just not doing something and taking a deal today that maybe in six months you find out🐼 you shouldn’t have done it. It's sometimes better to sit back because if somebody is still waiting, they can wait three or six months. 

“It’s not a rush and if the deal we think is not good enough going forward, we don’t have to do a deal this year. It’s not a must. There is stuff coming🌊 in but we need to do it right.” 

Guenther Steiner (ITA) Haas F1 Team
Guenther Steiner (ITA) Haas F1 Team

Asked if there is any rush from a financial per🦂spective to secure a new title sponsor, Steiner quipped: “I൩f you have got some money, I am rushing to get it to me!

“We will be okay without. There is always a need for money because this sꦚhould be a business and not a money-wasting machine. 

“But you have to do the right thing and sometimes waiting for the right thing helps you more in the mid-toꦅ-long term. That is the focus for me and the team. 

“We are in a good position in terms of performance, now we need to make comm🔥ercially good positions going into the mi✨d-to-long term.” 

Haas heads into this weekend’s race at Imola occupying seventh in the constructors’ championship having scored 12 points across the opening tꦰhree rounds.

Nikita and Dmitry Mazepin properties seized

Properties belonging for 💦former Haas driver Mazepin and his billionaire father, worth approximately £88 million, have been sꦗeized in Italy.

The operation targeting a villa, known as Rocky Ram, is part of Italy's efforts to clamp down on Russians lin꧙ked to the countrꦑy's president Vladimir Putin.

Nikita Mazepin: What are F1's values?

Nikita Mazepin (RUS) Haas F1 Team returns to the
Nikita Mazepin (RUS) Haas F1 Team returns to the

Mazepin, who is now without a seat in F1, told CNN about returning eventually: “I would say the biggest issue here is coming back to theܫ sport 🔥where teams are allowed to be keeping sponsorship money without fulfilling the contract. 

“And even asking for more, even t🌱hough they say they don't want money from Russia. So I'm not sure🀅, but the sport values need to be evaluated for me after this.”

He added about his nationality affecting his return 𓆉to F1: “Everybody has a right to speak or not to speak and the FIA, the highest governing body, has enabled me to compete as long as I'm neutral.”

Mazepin only competed for one season but is targeting a comeback: “It's difficu🌺lt to say at this moment in time, because I'm very wary that my issue is that I've lost a job.

“I was trying to get to F1 for 17 years and then I eventually got there. But it's a very minor iss🀅ue if you compare to the big things that are going on in the world right now.

“Of course, I would love to get back to the sport. I feel that I've got a lot of unfinished business there. 𒀰𓂃;

“But I need to wait until things cool do♔wn. And I don't even know who I can get back to because, you know, Haas has obviously 🌠done what they did with playing not the cleanest game, in my opinion. But it's different for me.”

Mazepin said about Russia’s invasion of Ukraine: “My view is that, whatever is going on right now, and I can only see a very small bit from where I 🍨am in Moscow, it's very painful,

“And I definitely feel it.

“I've been living for 23 years, and I was liviꦓng in a very calm world. But as to my official position, I've said many times that it's very important to be neutral for me, because I'm an athlete. 

“And I feel that it's important to be able tꦺo be neutral. Even 🐎for that, I have created a foundation that will help athletes stay neutral in principle.”

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