Haas free to travel to Italian GP as Uralkali dispute resolved

Haas is free to take its cars and equipment to Monza after former sponsor Uralkali confirmed receipt of a refund payment believed to total $9 million and an F1 car.

The team had been unable to depart the Netherlands after bailiffs and police visited it in the pitlane at the Dutch Grand Prix on Thursday evening after Uralkali went through the courts having claimed last month that Haas had missed a July deadline for the refund of a cancelled sponsorship agreement.

Following a Swiss arbitration court hearing in June, it was ruled that Haas should refund Uralkali part of its sponsorship payment made for 2022, prior to its title deal being cancelled in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, with a Formula 1 car also promised to the company.

While the court stated that Haas was within its rights to terminate the deal, it also said that the American-owned squad could only keep a portion of the $13 million sponsorship balance paid for the campaign.

Haas was therefore ordered to give back the remainder of the sponsorship payment that went beyond 4 March 2022, when the deal was cancelled.

However, Uralkali took action having not received the payment or car by the July deadline and, while they let Haas race at Zandvoort, the court order meant the team could not move their freight on to Italy until confirmation of the payment had been given.

That came early on Monday afternoon when Uralkali released a statement that they had informed the Dutch courts that they had now taken receipt of the payment as well as the car, as well as summing up what the Russian company offers their consumers.

Nikita Mazepin, Haas VF-22

Photo by: Haas F1 Team

"Uralkali confirms that we have 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," it read.

"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."

Haas had insisted the payment had been made on Friday and confirmation was delayed because it was the weekend.

It is understood the $9 million sum was deposited into an account in the Middle East after Haas had been concerned making a direct payment would be in breach of sanctions place on Russian businesses.

"Uralkali have now confirmed receipt of last Friday's financial transfer and therefore our trucks have been given clearance to depart The Netherlands and make their way to Italy immediately," Haas said in a statement.

The delay should not impact on preparations for this weekend's Italian Grand Prix.