The Haas F1 team is facing a hefty compensation payment to its former Russian sponsor, Uralkali. The sum is reportedly around twelve million euros, as ruled by the Swiss Arbitration Center (SAC).
Uralkali, a Russian fertilizer giant, was a sponsor of Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and the Haas team until the outbreak of the Russian war with Ukraine in early 2022. At that time, Mazepin was under contract with the American racing stable. Following the Russian invasion, Haas immediately decided to terminate the agreements with both Mazepin and Uralkali.
However, Uralkali demanded compensation of over twelve million euros for the terminated sponsorship deal through the Swiss legal system and was upheld by the arbitration court on Thursday. Haas’s counterclaim for suffered image damage, amounting to over eight million euros, was rejected.
“We expect Haas to fulfill its payment obligations without unnecessary delay,” Uralkali stated in an official declaration. The money will be used, according to the company, for further development and modernization of its production facilities.
It is also rumored that Mazepin is considering a lawsuit against Haas for unfair dismissal.
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