Haas to hold legal talks over Russian sponsorship

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has confirmed there will be a meeting next week to determine the legal ramifications of its partnership with Russian sponsor Uralkali.

The team removed the blue and red colouring and its Uralkali logos from the car in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine that has triggered widespread condemnation from leaders around the world.

Uralkali is a producer and exporter of potash fertiliser and owned by oligarch Dmitry Mazepin, father of Haas driver Nikita, and who has substantially supported the team financially since his son joined the team's driver line-up.

Asked during a media briefing including GPFans whether the removal of the logos meant the end of Haas' relationship with Uralkali, Steiner replied: "We removed it yesterday but we have to sort out all of the legal stuff next week.

"We will work through it next week but at the moment, I said I am not going to do it today.

"We made the decision yesterday with our team partners, this is what we are going to do. I need to work on the rest next week."

Russian troops had been building in numbers around the Ukrainian border across the past month before the invasion was triggered this week.

On whether there was a contingency plan in place from Haas, Steiner said: "We haven't been planning for this.

"Obviously, we monitor the situation, we were not sitting there ignorantly waiting until something happens, but when it happens, you need to see how it develops.

"I have never experienced something like this so I didn't know how this would go down. I think we just manage it in the same way going forward."

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