The drama in the build-up to the 2022 F1 season continues with Haas’ Russian driver Nikita Mazepin the focus after a compelling week of testing in Barcelona ahead of the Bahrain Grand Prix later this month.
Amid the conflict in Ukraine, the Russian driver’s future was in doubt after IOC guidance to not permit athletes from Russia or Belarus to compete. But despite the FIA providing the green light for him to continue racing, under a neutral flag admittedly, Mazepin could find himself out of a seat as the team continue to discuss whether to proceed with the son of Dmitry Mazepin, who is the owner of their main sponsor Uralkali.
There are only three weeks left until the first F1 race though, the Bahrain Grand Prix, in what promises to be a packed calendar. Each team has now unveiled their new car with vital data logged at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, with Lewis Hamilton finishing quickest ahead of the next round of testing on 10 March in Bahrain.
But there was the fascinating innovation displayed by Red Bull and their sidepods, which got a close inspection from Hamilton. Quite how valuable they promise to be is unclear with the reigning champion Max Verstappen seemingly strategising his runout in Barcelona without pushing for the absolute fastest time.
There will be one less race after F1 confirmed last week the Russian Grand Prix will not take place following the escalating crisis in Ukraine. Sebastian Vettel had already made clear that he would boycott the race, with Ferrari chief Mattia Binotto revealing that teams met last night “to try to understand what the situation is and how to cope and how to manage it”.
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