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The Haas F1 Team has reaffirmed that it will field Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher in the 2021 Formula 1 season after reviewing the former’s video controversy.
Footage appeared on the young Russian’s Instagram account earlier this month which showed Mazepin touching a female’s chest in the back of a car.
Haas, which had only announced his signing a week earlier, quickly moved to express its disapproval of the behaviour, furthermore describing “the very fact the video was posted on social media [as] abhorrent”, and promising to conduct an internal review.
Speculation subsequently swirled that Mazepin had been dropped after changes to his and recent Haas fill-in Pietro Fittipaldi’s social media biographies.
However, the American-owned outfit has now advised that Mazepin will indeed take one of its seats in next year’s F1 campaign.
“Haas F1 Team would like to reaffirm that Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher will form its driver lineup for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship,” read a team statement.
“As per the team’s previous statement regarding the actions of Nikita Mazepin (9 December) – this matter has now been dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made.”
Schumacher, a Ferrari junior, clinched this year’s FIA Formula 2 Championship soon after being confirmed as a future race driver at the Ferrari customer team.
Mazepin, who brings funding to Haas, won two Feature Races on his way to fifth in the F2 standings at season’s end.
