Hülkenberg team in a tight spot
After the Dutch Grand Prix comes the Italian GP, but one team was not allowed to set off on Sunday evening: Haas. Due to a legal dispute, the Dutch authorities have confiscated the transporters of Nico Hülkenberg’s team.
The reason: an alleged outstanding payment of around nine million euros that Haas owes to its former Russian main sponsor Uralkali. A team spokesman explained that the payment had already been made on Friday.
Uralkali demands Mazepin’s sponsorship money back
Uralkali, which is majority owned by Dimitri Mazepin – the father of former Haas driver Nikita Mazepin – was a major sponsor of the US team until Russia’s attack on Ukraine. After the war began, Haas separated from Uralkali and Mazepin. In June, a Swiss arbitration court ruled that Haas must repay a large part of the approximately 13 million euros that Uralkali had already paid, although the termination of the contract was recognized as legal.
Gene Haas, the owner of the team, had therefore travelled from the USA to Europe. On Sunday afternoon he assured that “everything was sorted”. But Uralkali has apparently not yet received the payment, as it was supposed to be processed via an account in the Middle East.
Bailiffs appeared in the paddock on Thursday to enforce an injunction. On Sunday evening, the authorities got serious. If the team is forced to stay in the Netherlands until Tuesday, their participation in the next Grand Prix could be at risk.
