Italian authorities have seized properties linked to former Haas Formula 1 driver Nikita Mazepin and his father Dmitry which are understood to be valued at around $115 million, according to police.
It is reported that authorities took control of a villa known as 'Rocky Ram' in the north of Sardinia in the latest step taken in a bid to rein in the financial assets of rich Russians in the wake of the military operation in Ukraine.
Neither Mazepin not his father have commented on the developing situation as yet.
However, the 23-year-old driver was included, along with his father, in a list of Russian figures to be targeted for EU sanctions.
Dmitry Mazepin was alleged by the European Union to maintain ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
So far, various assets thought to close to around $1 billion in value, including other villas and yachts, have been seized by Italian police in recent weeks after the introduction of a Russian sanctions list by the EU – the most prominent of which is said to be a super-yacht belonging to billionaire Andrey Melnichenko which is valued at more than $570 million. The vessel is currently impounded at the port of Trieste.
Mazepin had a disappointing debut campaign for Haas, crashing several times and finishing with zero points in his maiden F1 season in 2021.
He was subsequently fired by the team in March following the launch of Russia's military operation in Ukraine.
Mazepin has hit out at the introduction of sanctions against prominent Russians, including in sport, describing them as being an example of 'cancel culture'.
“I don’t agree with being in the sanctions,” he told the BBC last week.
“I’ve said previously that I intend to fight it, perhaps now is not the right time because if you look at the whole situation that’s happening in the general case, it’s cancel culture against my country. So that’s about the sanctions...”