The EU Court has ruled that sanctions against Nikita Mazepin, whose contract with Formula 1 team Haas was terminated following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, were unjustified.
The judges said the economic freeze imposed on the driver in response to the invasion of Ukraine was not justified simply because he is the son of Russian oligarch Dmitry Mazepin.
Mazepin was banned from entering the EU in March 2022 and his funds frozen in retaliation for Russia’s war in Ukraine, Euronews reported.
His team Haas immediately canceled Mazepin’s driving contract and a sponsorship deal with Uralkali, the Russian fertilizer company owned by Mazepin’s oligarch father Dmitry.
Family ties are not enough reason
“The relationship between Mr. Nikita Mazepin and his father is in no way established from an economic or capital perspective,” the EU General Court was told by EU legislators, adding that simple family connections were not sufficient grounds for imposing sanctions.
European Commission spokesperson Peter Stano told Euronews that the EU is taking into account evolving case law and carefully analyzing the order and its legal and practical implications to ensure that the lists meet legal requirements.
Stano added that judges are reviewing the listing decisions, which were last taken in September 2023: “For the time being, the restrictive measures against Nikita Mazepin remain in force.”
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