Haas Under Threat Of Uralkali Seizing Cars And Parts In Zandvoort As Former Sponsor Involves Dutch Police

The dispute between Haas and former sponsor Uralkali has escalated to the point where Uralkali is seeking to seize Haas's cars and parts following a financial disagreement.

Nov 17, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Moneygram Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen (20) of Denmark drives during practice 3 at the Las Vegas Strip Circuit. Mandatory Credit: Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports / Lucas Peltier-USA TODAY Sports

The Haas F1 team finds itself at the center of a dramatic legal dispute with former title sponsor Uralkali. This saga began after the abrupt end of their partnership, originally slated for the 2021-2022 F1 seasons, after the Russian invasion of Ukraine prompted Haas to sever ties prematurely.

Uralkali had already forwarded substantial sponsorship payments to Haas, funds that have become entangled in the broader web of international sanctions against Russian businesses. A Swiss arbitration ruling recently fell in favor of Uralkali, stating that Haas must repay €12 million. Despite this, the American-led F1 team has yet to fulfill the financial obligation.

Now, as per reports from Racing News 365, Uralkali has taken the matter to the Dutch courts, seeking to seize Haas’s tangible assets—ranging from F1 cars to spare parts, and possibly their motorhome—directly from the Zandvoort circuit, where the Dutch Grand Prix weekend is currently underway.

According to plans laid out by Uralkali, the seizure would occur overnight post-race to mitigate interference with Haas's Grand Prix activities. Reports indicate that appraisers were already assessing the value of Haas’s equipment on-site this Thursday evening.

In response to the unfolding crisis, Haas has acknowledged the owed sums to Uralkali, affirming their commitment to settling the debt. They stated:

"Haas intends to pay all amounts due to Uralkali pursuant to the arbitration award, and there is no dispute over the amounts due," it read. 

"Haas has been working with its lawyers to ensure that the payment complies with all relevant US, EU, UK and Swiss sanctions laws and regulations.

"We will continue to work with Uralkali in the coming days to definitively resolve this matter."

Uralkali has also released a statement, as quoted by Autosport:

"We are aware that Dutch bailiffs, accompanied by police, last night arrived at the Haas paddock and took an inventory of all racing equipment and other property.

“This is the expected consequence of Haas’ refusal to obey the ruling of arbitrage awarding payment and a race car to Uralkali.

“The arbitral ruling was issued June 12th with immediate effect and has been ignored by Haas.

“Haas has had over two months to implement the ruling, and, as was reported previously, Uralkali reached out to Haas’ representatives with options about how to make payment and where to send the race car, without ever receiving a substantive answer.

“There are not now and never have been any sanctions issues preventing Haas from fulfilling its obligations. Nevertheless, they have gone unfulfilled.

“We are delighted to hear that, following last night’s visit from Dutch authorities, Haas is finally paying attention to the arbitral ruling. Uralkali wants nothing more than to receive what it was awarded during a fair judicial process and hopes that Haas will move quickly to rectify the situation so that all sides can move on."