General
Steiner denies: "We even came up with this livery last year"
- GPblog.com
Haas F1's new 2021 car was launched on Thursday morning and it raised the eyebrows of many fans. The VF21 is a white car with blue and red accents, which makes it look very much like the Russian flag. And it is just that new driver Nikita Mazepin will not be allowed to race under the Russian flag in Formula 1 next season.
This has nothing to do with Mazepin himself, but with his homeland Russia. Due to the doping scandal in Russian sports, the sports tribunal CAS has prohibited athletes from competing under their own flag in the coming two years. Team boss Guenter Steiner refutes rumours that this is a statement or something similar.
"No, we haven't dodged anything. We even came up with this livery last year, before everything came out from WADA (doping authority). Of course we are not allowed to use the Russian flag as a Russian flag, but we can just use the colours on the car. Moreover, it is purely about the athlete, who may not show the Russian flag. But this is about the team and we are still an American team", Steiner told Motorsport.com.
Haas stresses that before the unveiling of the new livery there was intensive contact with the FIA. Despite the fact that the livery may be controversial, the American formation will drive with it for 23 weekends next season.