Haas is free to bring its cars and equipment to Monza after former sponsor Uralkali confirmed it had received a settlement payment believed to be $9 million, as well as an F1 car.
The team was unable to leave the Netherlands after bailiffs and police visited it in the Dutch Grand Prix paddock on Thursday evening, after Uralkali took legal action, claiming that Haas had missed a July deadline to repay a sponsorship deal that was cancelled at the start of 2022.
Following a Swiss arbitration hearing in June, it was ruled that Haas would have to reimburse Uralkali for part of its 2022 sponsorship payment, before the title deal was scrapped following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The reimbursement also included one of the team’s cars going to the Russian firm.
While the court ruled that Haas had the right to terminate the agreement, it also said that the American-owned team could only keep a portion of the $13 million in sponsorship it had paid for that season.
Haas was then ordered to repay any unpaid sponsorship payments beyond March 4, 2022, when the deal was cancelled.
However, Uralkali having failed to receive the payment or the car by the July deadline, and despite allowing Haas to race at Zandvoort, the court order meant that the team could not move its equipment to Italy until confirmation of payment was given.
Early Monday afternoon, Uralkali released a statement informing the Dutch courts that it had received the payment and the car, as well as summarizing what the Russian company offers its consumers.
Nikita Mazepin, Haas VF-22
Photo by: Haas F1 Team
“Uralkali confirms that it has received in full the payment due from Haas (including interest and fees) following the Swiss arbitration court ruling. We have also collected the car that was owed to us under the terms of the sponsorship agreement,” it said.
“Therefore, Uralkali has notified the Dutch authorities that they can release Haas’ assets, and that Haas is free to take them out of the Netherlands.”
Haas had insisted that the payment had been made on Friday and that confirmation had been delayed due to the weekend.
The $9 million was deposited into an account in the Middle East after Haas feared a direct payment would violate sanctions imposed on Russian companies.
“Uralkali has now confirmed that it has received the financial transfer from last Friday and therefore our trucks have been allowed to leave the Netherlands and head immediately to Italy,” Haas said in a statement.
The delay is not expected to affect preparations for this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
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