Rumors
BILD: 'Mazepin to be replaced at Haas, but not by Fittipaldi'
- GPblog.com
Rumours have been circulating for days that Nikita Mazepin will be replaced at the Haas team. Due to the war in Ukraine, more and more countries are banning Russian drivers, making the situation difficult for Mazepin. Multiple sources report that Pietro Fittipaldi will take over the seat, but according to information from BILD the team is opting for another driver.
The German branch of Sky Sports was the first to report who will be the replacement for the Russian driver. Several names were mentioned as potential candidates, but according to Sky, it is Fittipaldi who will get the seat at Haas. The Brazilian driver already had the chance to drive for the team in 2020 as a replacement for Romain Grosjean.
On Thursday, a sponsor of Haas shared an Instagram post congratulating Fittipaldi and Mick Schumacher on their seats for 2022. The team itself also shared a striking post showing Fittipaldi's car. As a result, it seems increasingly plausible that the 25-year-old driver will drive for Haas next season.
Not Fittipaldi, but Giovinazzi
According to information from the German BILD, however, it is not the Brazilian who will replace Mazepin, but Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian was still driving at Alfa Romeo last season, but had to leave the sport after the team opted for Valtteri Bottas and Guanyu Zhou.
That Giovinazzi would be offered the seat is no surprise. After all, Ferrari is Haas' engine supplier, and Giovinazzi has the role of reserve driver at the Italian Formula One team in 2022. Schumacher's new colleague is already expected to take his seat in the Haas during the test days in Bahrain from March 10 to 12, so an announcement will not be long in coming.