Haas assets unable to leave the Netherlands without payment to former sponsor

The assets of the Haas F1 team, including the cars, motorhome and racing equipment, are unable to leave the Netherlands unless the team pays its former sponsor Uralkali.

RacingNews365 confirmed the ex-sponsor entered the paddock on Thursday at Zandvoort seeking payment from Haas after asking a Dutch court to seize its F1 cars and spare parts.

Uralkali was dropped as Haas' title sponsor before the 2022 campaign following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, however Uralkali had already paid a bulk of the money before the contract was terminated.

The money was not handed back, with Uralkali winning its case in court when a Swiss arbitration agency ruled in its favour.

Uralkali issued a statement to RacingNews365 in which it called on Haas to make the payment and put the situation to rest.

In a further twist, OSK Advocaten, who is representing Uralkali, has outlined that Haas can't leave the Netherlands without paying the owed money.

"In addition to the payment, they must also inform us where all the stuff is - if they do not comply, they are committing a criminal offense," lawyer Jurjen de Korte of OSK told RacingNews365.

“They had time to comply, but they were playing hide-and-seek. The ball is in their court, they have to find a solution.”

Haas responded to the situation on Friday, with team principal Ayao Komatsu outlining his expectation that the payment - which sits at €12 million without interest - will be made before the end of the week.