Haas blocked at Zandvoort due to Uralkali dispute

The Haas and Uralkali case does not seem to be settled yet. Earlier this year, the Swiss court took up the case and ruled in favor of the Russian company specializing in the production and sale of potash, requiring Haas to reimburse an agreement broken following the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. According to information reported by GPblog, Haas took advantage of this weekend to fully pay off the debt owed to its former sponsor, according to a spokesperson for Haas.

Haas still stuck in Zandvoort

However, Haas is still stuck in the Netherlands and therefore cannot yet go to the Italian Grand Prix, which takes place in a week, since the company Uralkali announced that it has not yet received the refund of the payment of 9 million dollars, which has led to restrictive measures. Indeed, Uralkali has decided to seize the team’s assets, preventing them from leaving the circuit.

Thursday evening, all cars and parts of Haas were inspected directly in the pit lane by the bailiffs present as well as by the Dutch police in order to determine their validity and to see if they were allowed to leave the circuit, which unfortunately was not made possible despite the statements of the Haas members. Ayao Komatsu, the boss of the American team, had spoken, explaining that the judgement was justified and confirming Haas’ intention to finalize the payment.

Haas reveals having paid the full refund.

So obviously, an arbitration decision was made, and then we accepted it. We do not contest it at all. And then it is a complicated process to transfer these funds, and we are working on it, and it is taking longer than I would like. But yes, we are totally committed to getting these funds through as soon as possible, explained the Japanese.

On his side, Gene Haas has confirmed that the payment due to the termination of the agreement between Haas and Uralkali was indeed made this Friday and that everything is now settled, but due to the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, this refund has not yet been received by the Russian company, of which Nikita Mazepin’s father, a former driver for the team, is a part.

This payment, which has been ongoing since March 4, 2022, when the agreement between Haas and Uralkali had ended, was only made this weekend, the American team explaining that the operation took time due to the Russo-Ukrainian war, which limits the transfer of certain goods. To circumvent these restrictions, Haas made the payment via the Middle East.

In a statement sent on Friday, Haas says it is working with its lawyers to ensure that the payment would comply with all relevant sanctions and regulations from the United States, the EU, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland. We will continue to work with Uralkali in the coming days to definitively resolve this matter. However, despite these statements, the dispute between the two companies is still not resolved, as Haas trucks are still blocked at the Zandvoort circuit and are awaiting the payment to arrive at Uralkali’s premises, which could happen this Monday with the opening of the banks.

Nevertheless, if the Russian Potash company does not receive the money as well as Mazepin’s car, which was promised in the agreement, the situation could turn out to be dramatic for the Haas team, with the possibility that it may not be able to participate in the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The next hours will be crucial for the immediate future of the American team.