WADA will check the use of the colors of the Russian flag on the Formula 1 car of the Haas team. Its pilot is Nikita Mazepin, and Russians are prohibited from competing under the national flag

The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) will conduct an investigation due to the use of the colors of the Russian flag on the car of the American Haas team in Formula 1. This is reported by the publication Autosport.

Russian driver Nikita Mazepin will compete for Haas in the 2021 season. Russian athletes, by decision of the Court of Arbitration for Sport, are prohibited from participating in competitions that have the status of a world championship under the Russian flag - they can only compete as neutral athletes. WADA sanctions were imposed due to the manipulation of doping samples in a Moscow laboratory.

The colors of the Russian flag appeared in the updated design of the livery of the car, presented on March 4. The team's traditional combination of white, red and gray colors was changed to white, red and blue.

Haas boss Günter Steiner said the new design was ready before it was known that the Russian flag ban would apply to Formula 1. “It is clear that we cannot use the Russian flag itself, but we can use the colors on the car. In the end, the restrictions apply to Russian athletes, not the team. And we are an American team,” Steiner said.

• The title sponsor of the Haas team is the Russian company Uralkali, owned by businessman Dmitry Mazepin. Nikita Mazepin is his son.
• In December 2019, WADA suspended Russia from the Olympics and World Championships for four years due to the manipulation of doping samples, which were contained in the database of the Moscow Anti-Doping Laboratory. Later, the Court of Arbitration for Sport in Lausanne reduced this period to December 16, 2022.