Haas' relationship with Russian sponsor on ice - 'Financially, we are okay', says Steiner

The business relationship between the Hass F1 team and Uralkali, the Russian title sponsor of the team, is on the rocks.

Racefans.com reports that Haas removed the Uralkali branding and the Russian flag-themed colour scheme from their car on last week's final day of testing. This comes after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which shocked the world last week.

Team principal Guenther Steiner revealed that the team should be fine if Uralkali pulls their sponsorship, but concerns remain.

"It is a headache because it's work, but it's not something which disturbs the team on the competition side," he explained.

"Financially, we are okay. It has no [implication] on the team, how we are running it, how we're doing, and how we planned this season.

so that there's no issue with that one."

The massive sanctions on Russia, including the use of the SWIFT baking system, may also impact the team.

"Up to now, the official sanctions from any of the governments do not influence our business," added Steiner.

"I would need to check with my finance department about if SWIFT is switched off how that works because Uralkali is a global company. I don't really know how that would work out."

Meanwhile, the future of Haas' Russian driver Nikita Mazepin, the son of Uralkali owner Dmitry, remains in the balance.