How an F1 Team Savagely Humiliated Their Sponsor Over Non-Payments

Haas F1 have dropped Uralkali as their title sponsors for the 2022 season amidst the Russia-Ukraine issue. The American team had removed the company’s name on the final day of Barcelona testing from their cars. But back then, they had not announced any plans of dropping the Russian sponsor.

It looks like the Haas F1 team might run in the Pre-season test in Bahrain without a title sponsor. According to Reddit, the last time there was a major controversy regarding a sponsor was with Minardi in Suzuka, 2003. The team had written ‘Not Paid’ on the sticker for the sponsor’s name.

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Financially, we are OK: Haas F1 team boss Guenther Steiner

As reported by ESPN, the American team terminated the contract of its driver Russian driver Nikita Mazepin and its association with Uralkali.

The Russian company is owned by Dmitry Mazepin and became the title sponsor of Haas at the beginning of the 2021 season. The team decided to distance itself from the sponsor after things began getting intense in Europe.

“Haas F1 Team has elected to terminate, with immediate effect, the title partnership of Uralkali, and the driver contract of Nikita Mazepin. As with the rest of the Formula One community, the team is shocked and saddened by the invasion of Ukraine and wishes for a swift and peaceful end to the conflict,” wrote the team in a statement.

Losing the Russian sponsor would be a blow for the American team financially. But Haas team principal Guenther Steiner mentioned that despite losing Uralkali as the sponsor, they are fine financially.

“Financially, we are OK. It has no implementation on the team, how we are running it, how we are doing, how we plan the season. There are more ways to get the funding. So there’s no issue with that,” said Steiner.

It is assuring to know that the American team are financially well despite losing a significant chunk of money. Hopefully, the team will resolve its financial issues before the start of the season in Bahrain on 18 March. Let’s see who replaces Uralkali as the title sponsor for the team.

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