Uralkali seek “immediate reimbursement” from Haas over sponsorship termination

Uralkali seek “immediate reimbursement” from Haas over sponsorship termination

F1 team Haas

Last week Haas F1 decided to terminate Nikita Mazepin’s contract ahead of the 2022 Formula One season. The American team decided to sever ties with title sponsor Uralkali following Russia’s military invasion of Ukraine.

“Haas F1 Team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin,” the team said in a statement. But the Russian Fertilizer giant has described the actions by the Formula One team as a “unilateral termination” and that F1 “should always be free of politics and pressure from external factors”.

Uralkali demands “immediate reimbursement of the amounts received by Haas”. The company has decided to take legal action over the Formula One team and will be utilising the recovered amount that will be used to fund Nikita Mazepin’s new foundation.

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Uralkali claims sponsorship was wrongfully terminated by Haas

Haas driver Nikita Mazepin
Haas driver Nikita Mazepin

Uralkali is owned by Nikita Mazepin’s father, Dimity. The Company became the Haas F1 team’s title sponsor in 2021. Many regards this as the sole reason Mazepin was chosen to be the driver for the team after the team went into financial distress. Uralkali released a statement to the media following the termination of their sponsorship contracts.

“Uralkali intends to protect its interests in line with applicable legal procedures and reserves its rights to initiate judicial proceedings, claim damages and seek repayment of the significant amounts Uralkali had paid for the 2022 Formula 1 season,” the Uralkali statement read.

The company added that Haas’s action to terminate was unjustified and must repay the amount back. “As most of the sponsorship funding for the 2022 season has already been transferred to Haas and given that the team terminated the sponsorship agreement before the first race of the 2022 season, Haas has thus failed to perform its obligations to Uralkali for this year’s season. Uralkali shall request the immediate reimbursement of the amounts received by Haas.”

The amounts secured will be used to fund Mazepin’s new foundation to help athletes who are unable to compete because of “political reasons”. The organisation will aid athletes and help them in finding jobs, legal aid, and psychological help.

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