Caitlyn Jenner launching racing team in all-female W Series
Olympic gold medalist and former professional racing driver Caitlyn Jenner enters The Fox Garage to talk about the new team she's starting in the all-female W Series racing league.
Haas F1 owner Gene Haas said his team fired its Russian driver Nikita Mazepin because of the broad issues his inclusion was causing for the team, despite Russians and Belarusians being allowed to compete in international Motorsports under the FIA flag, according to a ruling by the governing body last week.
Russian Haas F1 driver Nikita Mazepin (R) was set to drive a car sponsored by his father's company Uralkali that wore the colors of the Russian flag this season. (Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
Mazepin's contract was terminated last week along with that of the team's title sponsor, Uralkali, a Russia-based fertilizer company owned by his father, Dmitry.
"There was a lot of intense criticism about the Ukrainian invasion and it was just getting overwhelming. We can't deal with all that, our other sponsors can't deal with all that," Haas told The Associated Press on the starting grid of the NASCAR race at Las Vegas Motor Speedway on Sunday. Haas also co-owns the Stewart-Haas NASCAR team.
Haas F1 removed the Uralkali sponsorship during testing in Barcelona following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. (AP/Getty Images)
Haas F1 is primarily funded by Haas Automation, a CNC machine tool company owned by Haas, and its cars will revert to the company's white, red and black color scheme for the Formula One test sessions in Bahrain this week, dropping the white, blue and red colors of the Russian flag they wore last year and at a test in Barcelona in February.
The team's reserve driver Pietro Fittipaldi will drive Mazepin's car at the Bahrain test, but the team hasn't decided who will fill the seat during the season, which kicks off at the same track next week. Mick Schumacher of Germany drives Haas F1's second car.
Haas F1 wore the company's colors during the 2020 season before Uralkali became its title sponsor. (Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)
"We're in the process of looking at several candidates, we'll see who is available and what we have to deal with," Haas said.
Haas hasn't announced a replacement for Uralkali but considers the team a marketing expense for Haas Automation and is prepared to run it at a large deficit.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
"We're good. We're fine. We'd like more money, of course, but we're fine," he said. "This just gives us a bigger negative number."
The Associated Press contributed to this report