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“He Was on the List”: F1 Anti-hero Nikita Mazepin’s Father Pulls Off Movie-Like Heist on His Own Million-Dollar Yacht

Published 12/16/2022, 5:10 AM EST

We all know the Haas F1 team had to cut ties with Russian billionaire Dmitry Mazepin after Russia invaded Ukraine. It was probably for the best of Haas, despite the financial trouble, especially after the European Union (EU) started sanctions on all Russian oligarchs. In fact, because of these sanctions, the father of Nikita Mazepin had to pull a heist on his own yacht.

You read that right. The Russian billionaire pulled a movie-like stunt in real life to get his 72-foot-long and million-dollar worth Aldabra yacht back. Let us give you some context. The yacht was docked at Olbia port, a port on the Italian Island of Sardinia. Following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Mazepin made the list of Russians being sanctioned by the EU.

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Because of the sanctions, Italian authorities seized the yacht in March. However, the yacht only remained on the port till June and then vanished hours before police confirmed Mazepin’s ownership.

“Mazepin knew he was on the list but managed to make the most of the period during which we were working to establish that the boat belonged to him, as we had to investigate the chain of ownership. We were in the process of confirming [the ownership] when it was taken away,” said a source at Sardinia’s financial police squad.

Exiled Russian Driver Nikita Mazepin Makes Angst-Filled Plea to FIA Amid Bizarre Demand: “I Will Not Do This”

After its disappearance, the yacht was briefly spotted at the small port of Biserta in Tunisia. However, after that sighting, the whereabouts of the yacht are unknown.

Although, you would not believe how the Russian billionaire managed to steal his own ship.

The father of former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin used hired help to steal his own ship

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The Russian billionaire took inspiration from movies to pull off this real-life stunt. According to the Italian police, the Russian hired a foreign company to get his yacht away from the port of Sardinia.

The foreign company then hired a captain to sail the yacht away from the port. This stunt has earned all three, Mazepin, the company, and the captain a fine of more than $500,000 despite the captain’s claims of innocence.

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WATCH THIS STORY: List of all the Russian Drivers in Formula One History

This was the first case in Italy of a Russian dodging sanctions whose assets they seized. Talk about real-life drama.

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Written by:

Mahim Suhalka is an F1 Author at EssentiallySports. This Sports Management post-graduate is an ardent supporter of the Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 team and their lead driver, Lewis Hamilton. The fact that Lewis dominated one of the most expensive sports in the world for all these years, despite his humble beginnings, has been a huge inspiration for Mahim and has made him a tenured fan of the competitive sport itself.

Edited by:

Varunkumaar Chelladurai

“He Was on the List”: F1 Anti-hero Nikita Mazepin’s Father Pulls Off Movie-Like Heist on His Own Million-Dollar Yacht

The father of former F1 driver Nikita Mazepin used hired help to steal his own ship

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