The Haas Formula One team can now send its equipment to the Italian Grand Prix in Monza after receiving permission to leave the Netherlands following the settlement of its legal dispute with former sponsor Uralkali.
Haas risked having its F1 cars seized by Dutch authorities and charges brought against the team if it attempted to leave the country without confirmation of the repayment of several million dollars to the Russian fertilizer maker that had sponsored Nikita Mazepin’s brief F1 career.
In a statement released on Monday, Uralkali confirmed that it had received payment “in full” (including interest and fees) and “collected the racing car owed to us under the terms of the sponsorship agreement.”
Uralkali said the company had “notified the Dutch authorities that, as an interim measure, they could release Haas’ assets from seizure and Haas could freely remove the assets from the Netherlands.”
A Haas spokesperson also confirmed that the team’s trucks have been given permission to leave the Netherlands and “immediately head to Italy” to take part in next weekend’s race in Monza.
Uralkali had taken legal action against Haas in the Netherlands after the company failed to receive repayments of funds it had paid to the team before Haas abruptly ended its title sponsorship in early 2022 following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
In June, a Swiss arbitration tribunal ordered Haas to reimburse Uralkali a substantial amount of money that had already been paid when Haas terminated the contract and fired Mazepin on the eve of the 2022 season.
Haas has also been commissioned to supply Uralkali with a car from the 2021 season.
Uralkali and its legal representatives did not try to interfere with Haas’ participation in Zandvoort, where the company’s cars competed and finished 11th and 18th. Nevertheless, police and bailiffs were present at the race track on Thursday evening to determine the value of the goods on site.
Haas was also told that the company would face serious consequences if it left the country without repaying its debts. Haas accepted this arrangement and promised to resolve the issue as soon as possible.
The Race has learned that Haas initiated a payment on Friday, presumably from its UK-based F1 company to a third-party account outside Russia.
