With Nikita Mazepin’s future at Haas in serious doubt, here is a look at five drivers who could be in contention to replace the Russian for 2022 F1 season.
Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine which led to numerous worldwide economic sanctions on the country, questions have begun to be asked of Mazepin’s future at Haas and in F1 especially after Haas dropped Uralkali branding for the final day of the first test.
Haas Team Principal, Guenther Steiner spoke to media on Friday about the situation as he iterated that the situation “needs to be resolved”, amidst complications due to Governments involvement and legalities of contracts.
Mazepin meanwhile issued a tweet iterating that he he isn’t in control of the current political situation and is instead focused on what he can currently control himself, albeit by working hard in getting ready for the new season.
To my fans and followers – it’s a difficult time and I am not in control over a lot of what is being said and done. I’m choosing to focus on what I CAN control by working hard and doing my best for my @HaasF1Team . My deepest thanks for your understanding and support. 🙏
— Nikita Mazepin (@nikita_mazepin) February 25, 2022
Rumours of potential termination of Uralkali’s sponsorship however means that Mazepin could be forced out of F1, especially given that his father – Dmitry is a majority shareholder of Uralkali which is one of the 22 year-old’s main sponsors.
Should Mazepin indeed depart F1 in the coming days or weeks then it opens up a seat just a few weeks before the new season begins in Bahrain across 18-20 March, so here is a look at who could be in the frame if a seat becomes available.
Pietro Fittipaldi
Having previously stepped up from his reserve role to drive for Haas in the final two races of the 2020 season, Pietro Fittipaldi would be the safest move because he knows the team thoroughly well after having been their reserve driver since 2019 season.
Whilst his two-race guest stint wasn’t exactly impactful as he finished slowest out of all finishers, Fittipaldi now would have the F1 race experience under his belt to help him progress if he was given a proper full-time chance in the race seat.
Add in the fact that there is only a few weeks until the season commences and putting Fittipaldi in the car could be a short-term solution, which enables Haas to focus on their preparations for the first few races whilst allowing them to properly assess Fittipaldi’s long-term potential.
Nico Hulkenberg
Current Aston Martin Test driver, Nico Hulkenberg has often been admired by Haas’ Steiner so this could be the perfect opportunity to lure the German across for many reasons.
As part of his test duties at Aston Martin last season, Hulkenberg spent time working in the simulator learning about how the new cars adapt to new technical regulations for this season, which gives him some experience which could be of benefit to Haas.
Hulkenberg also has over 12 years of F1 experience under his belt (2011 & 21 seasons as Test Driver) which will be a huge bonus, especially in terms of helping his compatriot – Mick Schumacher continue to develop in an important year for the 22 year-old.
Throw in the reported possibility of German sponsor – 1&1 increasing their sponsorship if Uralkali were dropped, it would make Hulkenberg a more attractive signing for Haas especially in terms of interest from Haas fans.
There however surely has to be some apprehension about opting for an all-German driver line-up from a marketing perspective, in that it could weaken Haas’ attractiveness to sponsors outside of American and German markets.
Antonio Giovinazzi
Having lost his Alfa Romeo seat at end of 2021 following two lacklustre yet inconsistent campaigns, Antonio Giovinazzi is now one of Haas’ reserve drivers and boasts recent experience which will make him a strong favourite for the seat.
Giovinazzi though would need to raise his game because after shifting focus from their 2021 car to the VF-22 before last season even began, Haas will be looking for a strong campaign this year and I just can’t see Giovinazzi propelling the team forward into the higher midfield fight.
Haas would also need to negotiate Giovinazzi’s release from his Formula E contract at Dragon Penske which shouldn’t be too problematic, although the short time-frame could put Giovinazzi on the backfoot slightly heading into the season if he misses the second test.
The common link of Ferrari between Haas and Giovinazzi though would go down well for the Scuderia in their relationship with Haas if the Italian secured the seat, which would see the American constructor fielding two Ferrari members as their race drivers.
I though personally wouldn’t go for Giovinazzi based on performance but he seems the best fit for Haas from a commercial and economical perspective within the F1 circus and specifically Ferrari, who supply Haas with their power units.
Oscar Piastri
With a F1 seat now potentially vacant and the reigning F2 champion harshly sat on the bench at Alpine, a case surely has to be made for Oscar Piastri to be handed a loan switch to Haas for this season so he can get some F1 race experience under his belt than sit in a reserve role.
Piastri in particular has demonstrated that he is ready for F1 after dominantly winning the F3 and F2 titles in consecutive seasons, yet a lack of seats denied him a full promotion this season until now but this is the perfect opportunity for Alpine to give Piastri some F1 experience out on loan.
One weakness to the idea of giving Piastri the seat is that it would mean that Haas would be fielding two young drivers on loan from rival teams, who are fairly inexperienced to help the team advance higher up the grid despite Schumacher’s one season worth of experience.
If I was Piastri though, I would be viewing the prospect of Mazepin’s seat becoming vacant as an potential opportunity and urging Alpine to at least hold discussions with Haas at minimum concerning a loan move because of the chance to gain F1 race experience.
Callum Ilott
Having spent 2021 largely competing in GT World Challenge as well participating in the final three rounds of IndyCar season, Callum Ilott surely deserves a shout out after missing out on a Haas seat to Mazepin last season after an impressive 2020 F2 campaign.
Ilott definitely has the speed and adaptability to do well once he is settled within a team as shown by strong consistency in his junior days, which has also been fairly apparent in his IndyCar adventures so far with returning team – Juncos Hollinger Racing.
Haas therefore wouldn’t be hard-placed to find a more solid replacement driver whilst also allowing Ferrari to quietly assess Ilott’s potential in a F1 car, as Ilott enjoys a gap-year away from the pressures of being a Ferrari junior.
Ilott though lacks the F1 experience that Giovinazzi and Hulkenberg both have but those two latter drivers haven’t exactly done much in their F1 careers, whereas Ilott would be a fresh rookie and putting the top two drivers of 2020 F2 season would be golden.
Leave a Reply