The European Court of Justice has annulled the political sanctions previously imposed on former Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin, clearing the way for his potential return to racing and work in Europe.
Following the onset of the Ukraine conflict, Mazepin, implicated due to his father's ties with Vladimir Putin, embarked on a legal battle to reclaim his freedom to travel, engage in work, and participate in races across Europe.
"The resolution states that the connection with his father, Dmitry Mazepin, was an insufficient basis for imposing sanctions," the Russian news agency Tass reported.
This development was validated by RAPSI, the Russian legal and judicial information service, with additional reports from Russia indicating that the sanctions' lifting would result in the thawing of Mazepin's frozen personal assets.
Mazepin shared with Tass his experience of receiving a "fair hearing" in court, yet he noted: "I understand that the legal process for lifting sanctions has not yet been completed, but this is certainly an important milestone for me."
Oksana Kosachenko, the former representative for former Russian F1 driver Vitaly Petrov, expressed her belief that Mazepin, aged 25, should now target the American squad Haas for what she perceives as an unjust termination of his contract.
"I think the next completely logical step would be to make mandatory demands on the Haas team, which unilaterally terminated its contracts with Mazepin," she conveyed to Kommersant, a prominent Russian business newspaper.
Kosachenko highlighted that Mazepin ought to demand "some kind of compensation for moral damage and, of course, financial compensation, because we understand perfectly well that an athlete spends a lot of resources in order to prepare for participation in the world championship".
