Guenther Steiner, team principal of Haas, believes the FIA must take more consistent decisions when handing out penalties. Steiner’s frustrations have been vocalized after Kevin Magnussen was handed a series of costly penalties during the race. This damage to the car was seen in both the Canadian and Singapore GP, causing Magnussen to drop out of position to score points.
Haas then pushed for a similar penalty to be handed to Fernando Alonso at the American GP, suggesting that the Spaniard’s mirror should have been changed due to the damage it sustained. However,Alpine was able to get the decision overturned and restore Alonso’s P7 result.
Steiner expressed his opinion on this situation, as quoted by motorsport.com: “There is still a lot of work to be done, in my opinion. It’s not like everything is sorted now. I think in race control, there is a lot of margin to do better. We saw the last races [of last year] there were some decisions taken which I think need to be addressed.”
Haas Looking To Improve
Needless to say, Steiner was unhappy with this decision, especially considering the effect it had on his team. With the 2023 season coming up, Haas will be looking to improve their P8 finish in the standings from last year. However, the team failed to introduce meaningful upgrades last year, so the American squad will be relying on their healthier financial situation to improve their production capacity.
This season is crucial for Haas if they want to make strides up the field and establish themselves in the midfield. The close nature of the midfield pack from last year shows that even small improvements can have a big impact.
It will also be interesting to see if Steiner’s comments will have any impact on the decisions made by the stewards, as he has made it clear that he believes they need to become more consistent.
