Haas has settled a dispute with a former sponsor which threatened to jeopardise its participation in this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
The team was forbidden from transferring its equipment from Zandvoort in the Netherlands, where yesterday’s race took place, until it had repaid a sum owed to its 2021 title sponsor Uralkali.
Haas terminated its sponsorship deal with the Russian fertiliser producer in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The team also dropped Nikita Mazepin, the son of Uralkali boss Dmitry Mazepin, as both were initially subjected to sanctions by the European Union.
In June a tribunal ruled Haas should repay Uralkali the money it had been paid for the period of its sponsorship which was not fulfilled. Uralkali also claimed Haas had promised to deliver an example of its 2021 chassis.
While the sanctions were lifted on Nikita Mazepin in April this year, other restrictions on doing business with Russia remain in place in the third year since the war began, which Haas said complicated its attempts to pay Uralkali the required amount. This led Uralkali to take action and Haas were forbidden from removing their equipment from the paddock after the Dutch Grand Prix.
Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu insisted they respected the tribunal’s decision and said on Friday at the circuit they would comply with it.
“It’s a complicated process to transfer that funds across,” he said. “We’ve been working on it, it’s been taking longer than I would like, but we are fully focused on making it across as soon as possible.”
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Uralkali said on Monday it had “received in full the payment owed by Haas (including interest and fees) following the ruling of the Swiss court of arbitration. We have also collected the race car owed to us under the terms of the sponsorship agreement.
“As such, Uralkali has notified Dutch authorities that they may release Haas’ assets from arrest as an interim measure, and Haas is free to take them out of the Netherlands.”
Formula 1
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