Haas in trouble? Russian sponsor Uralkali threatens lawsuits, what could all this mean for the American team?

It’s been one of the most watched topics in F1 recently – the end of the collaboration between Haas and Uralkali. However, the Russian chemical giant is going to defend itself and use all available means to win the lawsuit. But what would that mean for the American stable?

Team Haas recently ended its cooperation not only with Russian sponsor Uralkali, but also with driver Nikita Mazepin. On that occasion, of course, they also removed their logo from their monoposts.

It was the team’s title sponsor that had significantly interfered with the car’s livery, while the company’s total contribution was 20% of the overall budget. The main reason, of course, is Mazepin’s ties to President Putin.

And also the fact that after the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, Dmitry Mazepin accepted an invitation to Vladimir Putin, which not only the American stable, but the whole F1 could not ignore.

“Haas F1 Team has decided to terminate its cooperation with Uralkali and its contract with Nikita Mazepin with immediate effect. Like the rest of the F1 paddock, we are shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wish for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict,” read the team’s official statement.

Uralkali is currently prepared to take legal action against the Haas F1 Team, which should result in the return of sponsorship payments after the stable ended its relationship with Dmitry Mazepin’s company following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The now-former title sponsor of Haas also issued a statement saying that the company would seek to recover its sponsorship payments in response to the termination.

If the company is successful in the lawsuit, it will use the “sponsorship money” to set up a foundation for athletes called “We Compete As One” to support athletes who, like Mazepin, are unable to compete.

According to the Russian company’s statement, the termination of the cooperation by Haas was unreasonable, and reportedly a large part of the sponsorship for this year has already been paid.

“Uralkali considers the Haas team’s decision unwise and believes that politics should stay out of the sport and that it should always be free from pressure from external factors,” reads an official statement from the Russian company, quoted by Motorsport.

“Given that the majority of the sponsorship for the 2022 season has already been transferred to the Haas account and given that the team terminated the sponsorship agreement before the first race of the 2022 season, Haas has not fulfilled its obligations to Uralkali for this season. Uralkali will request immediate reimbursement of the amounts received by Haas,” the company also said in a statement.

For the currently weakest Formula 1 team in terms of performance, this would mean a difficult situation in the sense that it would have to reach for an alternative that would also guarantee a solid financial contribution when choosing a driver.

So who will sit in race seat number 2? Pietro Fittipaldi has been confirmed as the official test pilot. However, it is not yet clear whether he will drive alongside Mick Schumacher in this year’s F1.

However, if he were to be engaged, it would be an interesting financial acquisition for Haas, and politically it would also make sense for the American stable (the arrival of the grandson of double world champion – Brazilian Emerson Fittipaldi).

Sources: Haas F1 Team, Motorsport, Uralkali