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Russell & Vettel Led Drivers WhatsApp Group Hilariously Gave Banished Nikita Mazepin the Cold Shoulder, Leaving F1 World With a Plethora of Unanswered Questions

Published 07/07/2022, 4:46 AM EDT

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via Reuters

George Russell and Sebastian Vettel apparently removed Nikita Mazepin from a WhatsApp group! This happened the same day Haas F1 terminated the Russian driver’s contract. It was the pre- 2022 season when the Russia-Ukraine conflict began and Mazepin and Uralkali’s sponsorship was immediately dropped by the American team.

Since then, the 23-year-old has publicly mourned the loss and revealed several stories. These include complaints about his unpaid salary and a threat to take Haas to the court. Clearly, the young driver and his former team are not on good terms anymore.

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Amidst his problems with the American outfit, Mazepin’s admission of the GPDA group is noteworthy. He revealed, “To be honest, I was removed from the GPDA group on WhatsApp on the same day that Haas announced his dismissal…” (quotes translated using Google).

Twitter fans have now reacted to Mazepin’s confession in many different ways.

Russell and Vettel apparently head this particular group themselves. Moreover, this news definitely comes as a surprise to several Formula 1 fans.

F1 Champion Sebastian Vettel Responds to ‘Hypocrite’ Accusation – “I’m Not a Saint”

Safe to say, not many knew that there was a Drivers’ WhatsApp group in existence. However, this was not it, as Mazepin further revealed many other unknown things.

George Russell reveals the message he sent to Mazepin

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The Russian driver has claimed that several renowned drivers have supported him privately. Russell, in fact, was one of the drivers on Mazepin’s list of his supporters. Notably, Mazepin did not name his former teammate Mick Schumacher on the list. Understandably, the world also stood divided on Haas’s decision, with many supporting it while many hailing it unjustified.

via Reuters

Russell also clarified his message to Mazepin. He revealed, “There was absolutely nothing political. I think all of our views, of what is going on in the world, are absolutely united. But obviously for Nikita, I’ve known him personally for a very long time… I just said ‘Keep you chin up’, as simple as that. Nothing political in it. Just personal.”

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Watch This Story: F1 Stars Max Verstappen, George Russell Enjoy Miami Heats Dominant Surge at NBA Playoffs  

Since Mazepin’s departure, Kevin Magnussen has taken over at Haas and been a surprising success story.

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Written by:

Khyati Yadav

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Khyati Yadav is an F1 writer at EssentiallySports. She is a Hospitality Graduate and a huge fan of Lando Norris. She believes that F1 as a sport deserves a lot more attention and is intrigued by the process that goes behind the making of a car and the hard work that goes into the setting up of any Grand Prix.
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Edited by:

Reubyn Coutinho