The Haas F1 Team today confirmed that Nikita Mazepin will be driving for the American racing outfit in Formula One next year despite him groping an Instagram model and uploading a video of the incident onto social media earlier this month.
In a statement, Haas said “the matter has now been dealt with internally” and added that they won’t be making any further comment on the issue:
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“Haas F1 Team would like to reaffirm that Nikita Mazepin and Mick Schumacher will form its driver line-up for the 2021 FIA Formula 1 World Championship.
“As per the team’s previous statement regarding the actions of Nikita Mazepin (9 December) – this matter has now been dealt with internally and no further comment shall be made,” the team added.
This sparked yet more outrage on social media, with F1 fans slamming Haas for not taking serious action against Nikita Mazepin and the #WeSayNoToMazepin hashtag quickly started trending in the UK.
One social media user suggested that this indicates Haas “condones sexual harassment”, while many others urged the F1 community to keep signing the petition calling for Mazepin to be banned from the sport.
One fan even urged Haas’ sponsors to stop funding the team due to their leniency when dealing with the matter.
READ: Nikita Mazepin Groping Scandal: Haas Says Punishment May Remain Private