During the F1 pre-season test in Barcelona, Haas suspended its sponsorship with the Russian company Uralkali in the wake of the Ukraine invasion and, following a review, announced that it had completely severed ties with the brand and driver Nikita Mazepin, son of the company’s top representative, Dmitry Mazepin.
In reaction to the termination of his contract with Haas, Uralkali has issued a statement informing that he will seek to reclaim all of the team’s 2022 sponsorship funds. If successful, Uralkali says it will use the sponsorship money to establish a “We Compete As One athlete support foundation”, but it is unclear how that money will be used and to whom it will be given.
“Uralkali intends to protect its interests in accordance with applicable legal procedures and reserves the right to initiate legal proceedings, claim damages and request reimbursement of significant amounts that Uralkali had paid for the 2022 Formula 1 season,” dictates the Uralkali communique.
“As most of the sponsorship funds for the 2022 season have already been transferred to Haas and since the team terminated the sponsorship agreement before the first race of the 2022 season, Haas did not fulfill its obligations to Uralkali for the season. of this year. Uralkali will request immediate reimbursement of the amounts received by Haas”.
Uralkali’s statement also said that Haas’s call to end his sponsorship deal was “unreasonable” and that F1 “should always be free from politics and pressure from external factors”.
Haas will miss the start of the Bahrain F1 test , which starts tomorrow, after the late arrival of his team’s cargo when a transport plane due to transport him was delayed at Istanbul airport.
Pietro Fittipaldi will thus replace Mazepin for the Bahrain test, but the team has yet to decide who will take the second seat alongside Mick Schumacher.
Earlier this week Hitech Grand Prix also finalized its sponsorship deal with Uralkali to cover its FIA Formula 2 and Formula 3 teams. However, Uralkali has not announced whether it will also follow similar processes to recover sponsorship funds from the Silverstone-based team.
