Mazepin faces further Haas talks over grope video but team may keep outcome private

2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says discussions between the team and its 2021 F1 driver Nikita Mazepin over his conduct are still ongoing.

However Steiner said the team may not make public the outcome of the discussions concerning Mazepin’s behaviour in a video which appeared on his Instagram account on Tuesday. The footage, which was swiftly deleted, showed Mazepin grabbing the breast of a woman named Andrea D’lval, and has provoked widespread outrage.

Mazepin issued a public apology in response to the video. Haas issued a strongly-worded criticism of his behaviour but Steiner said he “cannot commit” as to whether the team will make public the details of any action it might take against its new driver.

“We had talks but the talks will continue when the race weekend is over,” he said. “We take it seriously and I don’t want to do it in between things. We have got a race weekend going on.

“I spoke with him when it happened, I spoke with him actually also yesterday about things and it will continue. I want to see what the outcome is, how we deal with this, and then if it is needed to come out, it will come out.

“If we think we can live without [it] coming out, we’ll do that one. But I’ve not [got] a plan for that one set in stone. We still have to deal with part of the issue.”

Asked what Haas will do to show it is taking the matter seriously, Steiner said: “I will not discuss it. That is a private thing between him and me.

“If you guys think I don’t take it seriously, feel free to do. You can have your opinion.”

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2020 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix

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16 comments on “Mazepin faces further Haas talks over grope video but team may keep outcome private”

  1. Not too long ago, there was this issue with another driver using a word ‘mongol’ with clearly intended derogatory meaning. When Mongolia protested, he refused to apologize, his team looked for excuses, FIA and F1 ignored it, and the fan base generally ridiculed the issue on various discussion platforms. Here we have another driver, much less successful and with different background. As I understand it, the other party did not really accused him of anything, but he has apologized and received some strong condemnation from various quarters. The fans circulate an on-line petition to keep him out of F1. In no way there is any excuse for what he has done and it was not only inappropriate, but also stupid. But I am not so sure if We Race As One anymore, really.

    1. If the driver – who used the offensive word – still doesn’t apologize, he should seriously be sacked from his team. And I wouldn’t be surprised if the other driver who did that incident last week was sacked from his team too.
      And basically, “We Never Raced As One”.

    2. only inappropriate, and that’s it.
      Looking at the scene it shows the girl in question was not really offended and as always a lot of hyperbolic quotes.

    3. As far as I know @gpfacts Verstappen did actually apologize, even though his apology was not all that much more convincing than Mazepins’.

      But saying something insensible (both upsetting a country and being abusive against many people) really is not on any level close to behaving abusively against someone like Mazepin did, and on top of that even filming it and putting it on your social media to show off about it.

    4. @keithcollantine, please look at getting rid of the comment this is a reaction to. It really is not done.

      1. NO! Please DO NOT get rid of this comment! I’m tired of alot of liberals simply wanting to shut down anything that differs to their political /moral stand point.
        I dont agree with this comment. I think it’s stupid but it should not be removed! This is getting so tiresome. While we are on the topic… Mazepan did not GROPE his female friend. Hyperbole to the extreme.

        1. He did grope her. Stop being a creep.

        2. Deletion is the only way.

    5. Really? Really? Really? Really? Really?

    6. That’s an apples to oranges type of comparison though isn’t it? Nikita’s case is perceived to involve gender inequality, whereas your example of two gentlemen does not. Besides, F1 strives to be a responsible corporation and is no place for tabloid gossip or intimate touching of any kind.

      1. He knows. He just wants sexual assault to be normalized again.

  2. All the white knights will be crying to realize that money talks and Haas team’s only serious effort will be to make this go away as soon as possible.

  3. If Haas had asked him quietly to remove the video… Probably noone would have said anything…
    Ironically it’s the apology that got this story blown way out of proportion

  4. Would be cool if Guenther could take a predator on his books at least bad seriously as a slammed door. Disgusting.

  5. If anyone thinks the young woman earnestly posted about this having been just fun, think again

  6. Well done guys…one comment was “Going, going, gone”!

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