The “Russia” paintwork of Mick Schumacher’s first Formula 1 racing car as a regular driver caused quite a stir. The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) told the British specialist magazine Autosport that it was “aware of this matter and is investigating it with the relevant authorities.”
The US-American Haas racing team presented the paintwork of its cars on Thursday and caused a sensation. The VF-21 is completely white, red and blue. The Russian flag can be seen on the front wing and engine cover with little imagination.
As part of the two-year ban by the International Sports Court (CAS) for doping manipulation, this is banned from world sport until December 2022, as is the Russian anthem, among other things.
The team had “clarified the paintwork with the FIA,” said the World Automobile Federation on Thursday in response to a SID request and stated: “The CAS ruling does not prohibit the use of the colors of the Russian flag.”
Team boss Günther Steiner explained: “We discussed this paint job. Of course we can’t show the Russian flag as the Russian flag, but we can use the colors on a car. And it’s the athlete who is not allowed to show the Russian flag, not that Team. We’re an American team. “
The addressed athlete is Nikita Masepin, Schumacher’s stable colleague in the season starting on March 28th. The 22-year-old, on the other hand, has to do indirectly with the color scheme: The new title sponsor of the clammy racing team is Ural-Kali, the chemical company of Russian billionaire Dimitri Masepin. This is the father of Nikita Masepin.
