The court denied Nikita Mazepin entry to the UK to negotiate with Formula 1 teams

A London court has denied entry to the UK for Nikita Mazepin, a racing driver and son of Russian businessman Dmitry Mazepin. He requested permission to enter the country, despite the sanctions against him, to negotiate with the Formula 1 teams. This was reported Bloomberg.

According to the newspaper, in early May, Nikita Mazepin filed a lawsuit demanding that the sanctions against him be declared illegal. He also requested a temporary lifting of restrictions on entry into the country pending consideration of the main lawsuit, which is scheduled for July. His lawyers explained this by saying that most of the English Formula 1 teams are recruiting drivers for the 2024 season this summer, and in case of any delay, he will not be able to resume racing in 2024.

The court in London said that nothing prevents Nikita Mazepin’s representatives from negotiating with the British teams for him. In their opinion, issuing him an entry permit to Mr. Mazepin would damage the “perceptible reliability of British sanctions.” They noted that this is one of the first appeals to the UK court because of the sanctions against Russia.

In response, Nikita Mazepin’s lawyer Hugo Keith said his client’s “hope to save any future as a professional Formula 1 driver depends on whether he can negotiate a spot with the team for the 2024 season,” writes Bloomberg. According to him, representatives of the racing teams in the UK are waiting for a personal meeting with Nikita Mazepin to check his fitness before starting his candidacy for the 2024 season.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley, according to Bloomberg, said that issuing permission to Nikita Mazepin would undermine the effectiveness of the country’s foreign policy. Lawyers at the UK government added that this could increase the risks of Mr Mazepin’s attempt to circumvent sanctions. They also noted that sanctions reduce the likelihood that Dmitry Mazepin will transfer his assets to his son. Lawyers also insist that there is no certainty that Nikita Mazepin will be accepted into one of the British racing teams.

Mazepin competed in Formula 1 for the American Haas team. The best result of the 23-year-old racer is 14th place in the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. In March 2022, Mazepin came under EU sanctions along with his father, Dmitry Mazepin, owner of Uralkali, which was one of Haas’ title sponsors. Haas also refused to cooperate with Nikita Mazepin. The sanctions were introduced in response to the entry of Russian troops into Ukraine.

Mr. Mazepin challenged the sanctions in the EU court in Luxembourg. In March 2023 he allowed participate in Formula 1 races as an interim measure in a claim.

More details – in the material “Kommersant” “Nikita Mazepin left the sanctions list”.

Olesya Pavlenko