Alpine chief breaks silence on Dmitry Mazepin's F1 testing appearance

Alpine team principal Oliver Oakes has addressed Dmitry Mazepin's presence in the French team's garage during pre-season testing in Bahrain. 

The Russian businessman made a surprising appearance last week at the Bahrain International Circuit when he was seen speaking with Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore. 

Mazepin's company, Uralkali, became the title sponsor of the Haas F1 team in 2021. However, the partnership came to an abrupt end after Russia's invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Reports at the time described Mazepin as "a member of the closest circle" of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Dmitry's son, Nikita, drove for the American team in 2021 but lost his seat. The team explained in a statement at the time:

“Haas F1 team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin.

“As with the rest of the Formula 1 community the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict.”

Fans of the sport were shocked by Mazepin's appearance in the paddock during testing. Responding to questions from the media, Oakes, who assumed the role of team principal in July 2024, commented:

Oliver Oakes, Team Principal Alpine F1 attends the Team Principals Press Conference

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

“Yes. I’ve said hello to him, I haven’t met him. Yes, he’s a friend of mine, yes I used to be together with him in Hitech. 

“He was here catching up with another friend of his. It’s nice to see him. I’m not going to go into that, the world’s a crazy place”.

A spokesperson of Dmitry Mazepin claimed that it was a "personal visit." They stated: "Dmitry was on a personal visit. He has remained friends with many people in the Formula One family and was happy to see them in Bahrain."

Since losing his seat in 2022, Nikita Mazepin had been fierce in his fight to make a comeback to the sport. While he worked to have his sanctions lifted by the European Union, he ultimately succeeded. The Russian driver has since decided to take his career in a different direction. He recently spoke about the "trauma" from his exit from the sport, explaining:

"This is because I have a certain trauma from the premature end of my career in Formula 1. The feelings I experience when watching the races is like watching your girlfriend talk with her new man.

"I was among the top 20 drivers in the world, I had a 5-year contract with the Haas team, and I planned to spend at least 5 years in Formula 1 and achieve success there.

"Unfortunately there will be no Formula 1 trophy on my shelf.

"I dreamed about this, and I lost it, but I found many other things, and it is not for me to judge which of these is more important."