Guenther Steiner has spoken about the Haas team parting ways with driver Nikita Mazepin and Uralkali who his father was a major shareholder of.
The team cut ties with the two after Russia invaded Ukraine. Mazepin’s father, Dmitry, has close connections to Vladimir Putin, president of Russia, so it was no surprise when the news was confirmed.
During an interview with Speedcafe.com, the Italian team principal reflected on the decision and confirmed he thought they did the right thing. Hey explained:
“We couldn’t take any other decision after the invasion of Ukraine. I think looking back, I think we did the right thing. But no, it didn’t have any impact [financially].
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The team decided to bring back Danish driver, Kevin Magnussen, who went on to prove himself by getting fifth place at the season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix and the teams first pole position for the Brazilian Grand Prix sprint race. Steiner continued:
“It certainly impacted the beginning [of the season]. There was a lot of work to be done to get back to where we wanted to be. But otherwise, once we got racing in Bahrain, you see how fast life in F1 is.
“There was never looking back, just let’s get the best out of it. We’ve got an opportunity. It was a challenge. But the challenge gave us an opportunity. Let’s focus on that and let’s keep going.”
The American team came eighth in the constructor’s championship and announced their new title sponsor MoneyGram for 2023 at the Austin Grand Prix. Speaking about the MoneyGram sponsorship, Steiner added:
“First of all, it’s not only the financials but MoneyGram is a very solid, good company which, although it is an American company, does 75% of their business globally.
“So the fact they want to be part of it shows how good F1 is and they chose Haas because they think we are on a good path.
“It shows to our employees, to the fans that Haas is here to stay because last year there were hard questions. I think we now have one of the most solid teams in the paddock. There are 10 solid teams on the grid and Haas are one of them.
“It’s also a recognition of what we are doing, the fact they choose to go with us. MoneyGram is a solid company. So I think all in all, there are no negatives to MoneyGram, there’s just positives.”
