Former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin is astonishingly taking the Canadian government to court, after the North American country-imposed sanctions on him in May 2022, following the conflict in Eastern Europe.
Mazepin and his father, Dmitry Mazepin, are both currently sanctioned by Canada, following the nation’s belief that the pair are oligarchs or are close to the Russian government.
All the sanctions imposed against the former Haas driver have had a huge impact on his motorsport career, with Mazepin having returned to Russia last year after being axed by the American team ahead of the 2022 F1 season.
He did compete outside of Russia for the first time this year in the Asian Le Mans Series, in which he claimed a podium at the season-opener.
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Mazepin is determined to get his racing career back on-track, with the main goal being to return to the pinnacle of motorsport.
After initially being slapped with similar sanctions by the European Union, the EU has since granted Mazepin interim relief, after the EU General court recognised that banning the Russian from competing in Europe would severely damage his career.
Mazepin is seeking a similar order in Canada, with the driver currently being banned from racing in the nation or even working with Canadians.
With the Canadian Grand Prix having featured since 1967, being granted permission to return and race in the country would be a step in the right direction for Mazepin to return to F1.
Mazepin has urged Canada’s Federal Court to direct Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly to remove him from the Canadian sanctions list, whilst he’s also pushing for an interim order.
Section 8 of Canada’s Special Economic Measures Regulations does allow a “designated person” to ask for their sanctions to be removed, something Mazepin is seemingly doing.
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For it to be considered, the Minister must “give notice without delay to the applicant of the decision taken.”
Mazepin’s application states that he’s “a young sportsman and professional motorsport driver who is in no way involved in the aggression suffered by Ukraine”.
As well as this, Mazepin’s application adds that him being sanctioned and banned from Canada “catastrophically reduce” his chances of making a shock return to F1.