Amidst the legal battle going on between HAAS and a Russian company and former sponsor of HAAS, a Russian company Uralkali over a $9 Million payment. The feud started not too long after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. HAAS had a Russian driver Nikita Mazepin driving for the backmarker team as a back door deal to the Uralkali sponsorship. The Russian company made a bid in the Dutch courts to have the HAAS equipment and cars seized.
Major Trouble at HAAS
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Once the war in Ukraine started the world of Formula One began to mobilize. Team Principal Gunther Steiner instantly fired Mazepin and ended the partnership with the Russian company. Formula One terminated the contract to run the Russian Grand Prix and Formula One has not returned to Russia since the war began.
The Dutch Courts granted the Russian Company a bid to hold the HAAS cars and equipment until the $9 million payment has been made. HAAS told the media that the payment had to be made through the Middle East due to the sanctions placed on Russia due to the Ukraine invasion. Due to the payment allegedly being made on Friday, the banks in the Middle East won’t process it until Monday. The team released a statement on Friday about the process:
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.
Uralkali however doesn’t believe the sanctions excuse and says that no effort to pay was made until the car and equipment were seized.
Uralkali Issues Strong Statement
The Russian Company did not hold back in its statement with harsh words toward the F1 team:
We are aware that Dutch bailiffs, accompanied by police, last night arrived at the Haas paddock and took an inventory of all racing equipment and other property, This is the expected consequence of Haas’ refusal to obey the ruling of arbitrage awarding payment and a race car to Uralkali.
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.
There are not now and never have been any sanctions issues preventing Haas from fulfilling its obligations. Nevertheless, they have gone unfulfilled.
The Russian Company has claimed that the American team has ignored the arbitration hearing in Swiss Courts and has made no real effort to pay the outstanding balance. If the payment has not been made and the Dutch Government holds the HAAS cars and equipment this interesting little story could turn into an international issue as it will make front-page news and could be seen as an attack on America.
Final Thoughts
It is a bit surprising given the international hatred towards Russia since the Ukraine invasion that Switzerland and the Netherlands would help the Russian Oligarch. In a fair world, yes Uralkali should receive repayment however this world is far from fair and anybody with a somewhat functioning brain knows that money is going directly to the war effort and leading to the deaths of young men. It could easily be seen as an act of aggression towards the United States and could act against Switzerland and the Netherlands for aiding Russia during wartime.
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