Mazepin to compete in F1 under neutral flag after CAS ruling

Nikita Mazepin will compete in the Formula 1 world championship as a neutral participant and will not be able to use the country’s flag or national anthem.

The driver, who will make his F1 debut with Haas in the 2021 season, will not be able to compete as a representative of his country after last December’s Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruling banning Russian athletes from international competition until December 2022.

Instead, his car will have to have a sticker which designates him as a neutral athlete, the Russian Automobile Association told RIA Novosti.

Mazepin will become the fourth Russian driver to compete in F1 when he begins racing this year, and is the country’s sole representative on the grid following the departure of Daniel Kvyat from AlphaTauri at the end of last season.