Nikita Mazepin caused outrage on social media this week after he posted a video of him groping an Instagram model in the UAE onto his Instagram story.
The Haas F1 Team were quick to condemn this “abhorrent” incident and said they are dealing with the matter internally.
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On Thursday, Haas team principal Guenther Steiner reiterated that he doesn’t want to provide any details on how they are dealing with the incident and how Mazepin might be punished by the team.
“We’ve made clear we will deal with this internally, but we don’t let that one go away. He needs to get better,” Steiner told GP Fans.
“I don’t want to comment on what we are doing and how we are doing it. We know what we are doing, but yes, we are very disappointed with what happened, with what was posted yesterday.
“It is a subject we take very seriously, but I don’t want to go public with any of the details,” he added.
Meanwhile, the FIA and Formula One have issued a statement condemning Nikita Mazepin and expressing their support for the Haas F1 Team.
“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 ethical principles and diverse and inclusive culture of our sport are of the utmost importance to the FIA and Formula 1,” the statement concluded.
Many F1 fans are still calling for Haas to tear up Mazepin’s multi-year contract with the team, but the possibility of this happening looks very remote at the moment.
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