Formula One and racing’s governing body, the FIA, have thrown their support by Haas’ response to a video of 2021 driver Nikita Mazepin which emerged on Wednesday.
A video uploaded to Mazepin’s Instagram account showed the Russian touching a woman’s chest in the back seat of a car. The video was deleted but captured and shared widely on social media.
Haas condemned the video, which it labelled « abhorrent », and confirmed it will deal with the matter internally. Mazepin issued an apology, saying he will hold himself « to a higher standard as a Formula One driver ».
The woman in the video posted a message to her own Instagram saying: « I posted this video on his story as an internal joke. I am truly sorry. I can give you my word he’s a really good person and he would never do anything to hurt me or humiliate me. »
F1 and the FIA issued a joint statement on Thursday.
« We strongly support the Haas F1 Team in its response to the recent inappropriate actions of its driver, Nikita Mazepin.
« Mazepin has issued a public apology for his poor conduct and this matter will continue to be dealt with internally by the Haas F1 Team. The ethnical principles and diverse and inclusive culture of our sport are of the utmost importance to the FIA and Formula 1. »
https://www.espn.com/f1/story/_/id/30488322/f1-fia-back-haas-handling-nikita-mazepin-video
