05/03/2021
NEWS STORY
Haas team boss, Guenther Steiner insists that the World Anti-Doping Agency's ban on Russian athletes competing in world championship events does not conflict with the team's new livery.
On Thursday, Haas released a number of images of its 2021 car sporting a much brighter livery than fans have been accustomed to.
And while the white, red and blue could well signify the team's American heritage, it could similarly be argued that as the car features the name of new title sponsor, Uralkali, the Russian potash fertilizer producer and exporter, owned by Russian, Dmitry Mazepin, whose Russian son will drive one of the cars, the VF-21 is actually sporting the red, white and blue of, err... Russia.
Not so, insists Guenther Steiner, who was keen to dismiss talk that the team is attempting to circumvent the World Anti-Doping Agency's ban which followed the revelation of state-sponsored doping at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia
"We didn't circumvent anything," said the Italian. "We came up with this livery already last year, before the ruling from WADA about the Russian flag.
"Obviously, we cannot display the Russian flag as the Russian flag," he admitted, "but you can use the colours on the car.
"In the end, it's the athlete which cannot display the Russian flag, not the team. The team is an American team."
Asked about Mazepin's involvement in the team, Dmitry having previously tried to buy Force India, Steiner explained: "Nikita is the driver and Uralkali is the title partner of the team, it is called the Uralkali Haas F1 Team and therefore with that comes some benefits but it is the company which sponsors us.
"That is the role they play at the moment," he added, "Mr. Mazepin, as you know, owns the company or is the biggest/only shareholder of the company and his son drives for us.
"But in the end it is Uralkali which sponsors us and Nikita needs to deliver like any other driver."
Check out our Haas livery reveal gallery, here.