Haas F1 Team stuck in Zandvoort

Due to the ongoing row with former sponsor Uralkali dating back to 2022, all of Haas’ cars and equipment are stuck in Zandvoort.

At the conclusion of the Dutch Grand Prix on Sunday, Haas was unable to take its assists away from Zandvoort.

This is because former title sponsor Uralkali demands a receipt of an overdue refund payment of $13.5 million AUD.

The figure is traced back to the start of 2022 when Haas cancelled its title sponsorship with Uralkali and also removed Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, son of Urakali owner Dmitry following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

However,  the Russian company took the matter to court and a hearing in June ruled that Haas should provide a refund with a July deadline.

Although the court stated Haas had the right to terminate the deal, it also determined the F1 team could only keep part of the sponsorship payment and pay the remainder back.

A F1 car being sent from the American team to Uralkali is also part of the deal.

Whilst Haas has claimed it has made the payment on Friday, Uralkali believes it has not received the funds.

With the court order remaining in place, all of Haas’ equipment is unable to depart the Netherlands.

With the Italian Grand Prix starting this Friday, what is already a tight turnaround has become even more extreme.

It is understood the team will be able to freely head to Monza on Monday once the payment confirmation arrives.

“Haas fully intends to pay to Uralkali all amounts due pursuant to the arbitration award, and there is no dispute over the amounts owed,” a Haas F1 Team statement read.

“Haas has been working with its lawyers to ensure payment will comply with all relevant US, EU, UK and Swiss sanctions and regulations.

“We will continue working with Uralkali in the coming days to resolve this matter definitively.”

“Haas has had over two months to implement the ruling, and, as was reported previously, Uralkali reached out to Haas’ representatives with options about how to make payment and where to send the race car, without ever receiving a substantive answer,” a Uralkali statement read.

“There are not now and never have been any sanctions issues preventing Haas from fulfilling its obligations. Nevertheless, they have gone unfulfilled.

“We are delighted to hear that, following (Thursday) night’s visit from Dutch authorities, Haas is finally paying attention to the arbitral ruling.

“Uralkali wants nothing more than to receive what it was awarded during a fair judicial process and hopes that Haas will move quickly to rectify the situation so that all sides can move on.”

Haas just missed out on points in the Dutch Grand Prix with Nico Hulkenberg 11th and Kevin Magnussen 18th.

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