In a short statement, the Haas F1 Team has confirmed it will not run any branding of its Russian title partner, Uralkali, in the final day of testing in Barcelona, tomorrow. This comes after Russian President Vladimir Putin declared war against Ukraine overnight. This development has shocked the global community and various countries, especially the United States, are planning on launching harsh sanctions against Russia in the near future.

The statement read: "Haas F1 Team will present its VF-22 in a plain white livery, minus Uralkali branding, for the third and final day of track running at Circuit de Barcelona – Catalunya, on Friday 25 February.

“Nikita Mazepin will drive as planned in the morning session, with Mick Schumacher taking over in the afternoon.

“No further comment will be made at this time regarding the team partner agreements.”

The team is heavily financed by the Russian company, and this development puts into question not only the future of its driver Nikita Mazepin – even though he is confirmed, for now - but the future of the team as a whole, given the financial struggles it faced during the 2020 season, before Uralkali joined in 2021.

The team completed significant on-track running today, clocking 108 laps between Schumacher and Mazepin, a relief for them after a troubled first day. Teams are set to meet in Barcelona in order to discuss the future of the Russian GP in 2022, which looks increasingly in doubt. Sebastian Vettel made clear already how he “will not go” to the race if it happens, and he was backed by the reigning world champion Max Verstappen.

The situation in Eastern Europe is very delicate and evolves by the minute, with Formula One stating that they are “monitoring the situation” and will evaluate the future of the Russian event in due course.

MotorLAT will bring you all the news and information regarding the matter.