Guenther Steiner opens up on IMMEDIATE reaction to Ukraine invasion

Steiner and Mazepin — Photo: © LAT Images

Guenther Steiner

Steiner opens up on IMMEDIATE reaction to Ukraine invasion

The then Russian-sponsored team had some quick decisions to make

Chris Deeley

Wednesday 19 April 2023 09:57

Guenther Steiner has written about his reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022, saying his Haas team risked being 'associated with someone who starts a f***ing war'.

Haas were sponsored by Uralkali, whose majority shareholder Dmitry Mazepin is close to Russian president Vladimir Putin – with Mazepin's son Nikita driving for the team.

In an extract from his diary-style new book 'Surviving to Drive: A Year Inside Formula 1', Steiner admitted that when he saw the news of the invasion he left his phone turned off for some time.

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"I woke up to the news that Russia has now invaded Ukraine," Steiner wrote on 24 February. "Oh great! I obviously feel very sorry for the people who are directly affected by this but I can only look after my own ship, you know?

Cutting ties

"When it comes to motorsport, all eyes are on us at the moment. I didn’t even turn my phone on until after I got to the track this morning as I knew it would be ringing off the hook. When I eventually turned it on there were over a hundred texts and about seventy voice messages.

"I had to have a very difficult conversation with Nikita Mazepin, our driver. I know that his father, Dmitry, who is the majority shareholder of our main sponsor, Uralkali, is close to Vladimir Putin and, at the end of the day, I don't want our team to be associated with someone who starts a f***ing war, you know?

"Nikita said that he wasn't interested in politics and just wanted to drive. I understand and appreciate what he's saying but it's a bit bigger than that. It's so difficult for everyone.

"I went to my office for a board meeting. They wanted to know what I thought, as team principal, so I told them. 'Drop the Uralkali branding', I said. 'Change the livery to white and tell the whole f***ing world that is what we have done'. Every single board member agreed with me and so the meeting was over in a couple of minutes."