NOVEMBER 14, 2020

Mazepin denies saying F1 team sale illegal

A spokesperson for Dmitry Mazepin's company Uralkali has denied the wealthy Russian even said the Force India team sale of 2018 was "illegal".

A spokesperson for Dmitry Mazepin's company Uralkali has denied the wealthy Russian even said the Force India team sale of 2018 was "illegal".

We reported this week that a court action brought by Mazepin, whose son Nikita is tipped to race for Haas next year, was set to begin this week in London's High Court.

"The case has started being heard by the London High Court this week," the spokeswoman told us.

She clarified that the claim has actually been brought by Uralkali, a Russian fertiliser company, "rather than by Mazepin" himself.

Two years ago, when Force India was sold by Vijay Mallya, Mazepin claimed Uralkali made a higher bid than Lawrence Stroll for the Silverstone based team but administrators "did not reply to phone calls and emails".

The spokeswoman also denied that Mazepin ever said the sale to Stroll was "illegal and that's why I'm going to court".

"We have no evidence of Mazepin ever saying this," she insisted.

(GMM)