Bailiffs Visit Haas F1 Team at Zandvoort Looking for Money to Settle Uralkali Suit

• An arbitration ruling in Switzerland in June said that Haas was within its rights to terminate the contract of driver Nikita Mazepin.

• The ruling also stated that Haas must repay the remainder of the sponsorship payment for 2022 after the date of termination.

• Haas says it is taking time to pay the reported $10 million bill due to the complexity of large transfers involving Russian companies in the current climate.

The Haas F1 Team says it is working to repay money owed to former title sponsor Uralkali, amid a visit from bailiffs in the Dutch Grand Prix paddock at Zandvoort, Netherlands.

Uralkali became Haas’ Formula 1 title sponsor in 2021 but the contract was terminated in March 2022 in the aftermath of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Uralkali held connections to Russia’s government, which was controlled by Dmitry Mazepin, the father of Nikita, whose stint racing for Haas also ceased following the outbreak of the conflict.

An arbitration ruling in Switzerland in June decreed that while Haas was within its rights to terminate the contract, it had to repay the remainder of the sponsorship payment for 2022 after the date of termination.

It is understood that Haas, which has not contested the ruling, has been evaluating the mechanism of paying the sum—believed to be around $10 million—due to the complexity of large transfers involving Russian companies in the current climate.

Uralkali has taken matters further this weekend, with bailiffs visiting the paddock at Zandvoort on Thursday night to take an inventory of Haas’ assets. The greatest threat is understood to relate to Haas being prevented from removing its cars and other assets from the paddock after Sunday’s event.

Haas issued a statement outlining that it “fully intends to pay to Uralkali all amounts due pursuant to the arbitration award, and there is no dispute over the amounts owed.

“Haas has been working with its lawyers to ensure payment will comply with all relevant U.S., E.U., U.K. and Swiss sanction laws and regulations. We will continue working with Uralkali in the coming days to resolve this matter definitely.

Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu emphasized that the squad is keen to resolve the matter.

“We accepted it, we’re not disputing it whatsoever,” he said. “It’s a complicated process to transfer the funds across, we’re working on it, it’s taking longer than I would like but we’re fully focused on making it across as soon as possible.”