The Haas F1 team let me down.
I’m an American and a Formula 1 fan, which in my experience is not very common, and the behavior of the only American F1 team lately is unfortunate. It was my hope that the founding of Haas F1 in 2014 by American tool maker Gene Haas would lead to more domestic F1 fans in the US and greater national appreciation for the sport.
Like many F1 fans, I woke up this morning with the new Haas F1 livery and was shocked that it was a motorized Russian flag. I avoid going into my soapbox about international politics, but I was appalled by Russia’s state-sponsored doping scandal in connection with the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
As a result of a doping scandal, Russian athletes were banned from World Cup events for two years. The ban was announced in December 2020 and also extends to individual Russian athletes who are not allowed to compete under their national flag and national anthem. The Russian Automobile Association confirmed with the FIA in February 2021 that the ban extends to drivers of all FIA driving series.
The new livery of the Haas VF-21 is based on its new sponsor Uralkali. The Haas F1 sponsor is a Russia-based potash fertilizer manufacturer owned by Dmitry Mazepin, father of new Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin.
Presentation of the Uralkali Haas F1 Team VF-21… # HaasF1 https://t.co/skSVeLuc1s
– Haas F1 Team (@ HaasF1Team) March 4, 2021
“Of course we can’t use the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but you can use colors on a car,” said Haas F1 team principal Günther Steiner. “Ultimately, it’s the athlete who can’t fly the Russian flag and not the team. The team is an American team. “
I can’t say for sure, but it appears that Haas F1 is circumventing an international motorsport edict to appease its sponsor and new driver. The verdict is based on a Russia sponsored Winter Olympics fraud scandal, and aren’t the Olympics based on fair competition between nations?
What Haas F1 showed me is that they are okay with taking money to run their outfit regardless of the source. Unfortunately, this isn’t the only recent case that Haas F1 has been involved in where their ethics have been largely suspect.
SCARPERIA, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 12: Race winner Nikita Mazepin from Russia and Hitech Grand Prix celebrates on the podium during the Formula 2 championship race at the Mugello Circuit on September 12, 2020 in Scarperia, Italy. (Photo by Bryn Lennon / Getty Images)
On November 30, 2020, Haas F1 signed Nikita Mazepin to drive for their squad, and on December 9, 2020, Mazepin posted a video on Instagram in which he inappropriately touched a woman when she tried to resist. The video was removed from Instagram and Haas F1 issued a statement on Twitter shortly afterwards:
The Haas F1 team does not condone Nikita Mazepin’s behavior in the video recently posted on its social media. Additionally, the fact that the video was posted on social media is also hideous for the Haas F1 team. The matter is being handled internally and no further comments are currently being made. – Haas F1
Mazepin then apologized on Twitter and later deleted it:
“I apologize for my recent actions, both regarding my own inappropriate behavior and the fact that it was posted on social media. I am sorry for the insult I rightly caused and for the embarrassment I brought to the Haas F1 team. As a Formula 1 driver, I have to stick to a higher standard and I admit that I have let myself and many people down. I promise that I will learn from it. ”- Nikita Mazepin
On December 23, 2020, Haas F1 made a statement on Twitter:
“The Haas F1 Team would like to confirm that Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher will form its driver line-up for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship. According to the team’s previous statement on Nikita Mazepin’s actions (December 9th), this matter has now been dealt with internally and no further comments will be made. “
It is reprehensible how Haas F1 handled the Mazepin situation. He apologized, but the message was hollow, and the deletion that followed shows that it was meant to appease but not wholeheartedly. Haas F1 sends a message that really terrible behavior is fine with their franchise.
When Haas F1 was founded in 2014, I was excited and quite optimistic about Gene Haas’ previous success in NASCAR. I’m a longtime NASCAR reporter and know that Stewart-Haas Racing was one of the top teams in the cup series with two NASCAR Cup championships. The past is often a prologue.
I knew that building an F1 team from scratch was going to get harder and harder and that progress would be slow. They worked with Ferrari and finished eighth in the constructors’ championship in their debut season. In 2018 they were fifth in the final ranking, but fell back to ninth in a row in 2019 and 2020.
From a distance they find themselves on the track in a downward spiral and their team ethics are highly questionable. I can handle lackluster athletic performance when my heart is in the right place, but some actions are really unfortunate.
You failed us, Haas F1. Please do the right thing and clean up your garage. You have to do better than you recently showed us.
The post You let me down, Haas F1. first appeared on monter-une-startup.
