“We did the right thing” - Guenther Steiner reflects on Nikita Mazepin sacking

Ahead of the season, there were significant changes at Haas following Russia’s decision to invade Ukraine.

Russian driver Mazepin was replaced by Kevin Magnussen, while title sponsor Uralkali was dropped.

Mazepin’s father - Dmitry Mazepin - has close ties to Russia’s president Vladimir Putin meaning it wasn’t a surprise to see Haas and Steiner cut the partnership early.

“Not really,” he told Speedcafe.com. “We couldn’t take any other decision after the invasion of Ukraine. I think looking back, I think we did the right thing. But no, it didn’t have any impact [financially].

“It certainly impacted the beginning [of the season]. There was a lot of work to be done to get back to where we wanted to be. But otherwise, once we got racing in Bahrain, you see how fast life in F1 is.

“There was never looking back, just let’s get the best out of it. We’ve got an opportunity. It was a challenge. But the challenge gave us an opportunity. Let’s focus on that and let’s keep going.”

Haas enjoyed a mini-revival in 2022, finishing eighth in the constructors’ championship, even scoring their maiden pole position with Magnussen in Brazil.

Things got better for the team when they announced their new title sponsor for F1 2023 - MoneyGram.

“First of all, it’s not only the financials but MoneyGram is a very solid, good company which, although it is an American company, does 75% of their business globally,” he added.

“So the fact they want to be part of it shows how good F1 is and they chose Haas because they think we are on a good path.

“It shows to our employees, to the fans that Haas is here to stay because last year there were hard questions. I think we have now one of the most solid teams in the paddock. There are 10 solid teams on the grid and Haas are one of them.

“It’s also a recognition of what we are doing, the fact they choose to go with us. MoneyGram is a solid company. So I think all in all, there are no negatives to MoneyGram, there’s just positives.”