Steiner: Haas right of review case highlighted FIA "bad job" on track limits

Steiner says the fact that the stewards said that the FIA was doing a "bad job" on track limits was itself a win.

Haas submitted the right of review request after studying footage of cars at Turn 6 during the US GP at Circuit of the Americas, and determining that Sergio Perez, Lance Stroll, Alex Albon and Logan Sargeant had all committed multiple offences during the race.

The team compiled video and photographic evidence which they believed was the new and relevant information that would trigger a review.

The US GP stewards deemed otherwise, while urging the FIA to find a better solution for track limits, and specifically Austin’s Turn 6.

“I don't regret it,” said Steiner when asked by Autosport about the failed bid. “Obviously we were conscious that it will be difficult to make it stick, but at least we tried.

“And what came out is that the stewards actually said the FIA is doing a bad job. And I think that's what was done.

“We didn't get anything out of it, but you have to try, in life you have to fight. You just can't say, 'Oh I do nothing.'”

The stewards also noted that Haas should have submitted a protest immediately after the US race rather than waiting and making a review request, but Steiner didn’t agree with that assertion.

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal, Haas F1 Team

“What they said is what they [the FIA] should have done is made sure that they had a CCTV camera on Turn 6, so I don't have to protest,” he said. “I mean, let's go that way, that is number one.

“They should make sure that they've got the means in place to check their own regulation, not me sitting at home, or Aston Martin checking what they are doing. That is not the team's job.

“And in half an hour, we didn't have the time to do to go through all that stuff, because that is not our job.

“We are not the governing body, we are a race team. We pay somebody to do this job, the FIA.”

He added: “And then again, a protest costs you a lot of money, a right of review costs very little. You need to be smart as well!

“I mean, it's worth it. I think that's worth it for whole of F1, not only for us, because everybody agreed with that, but nobody did anything about it. I think we are helping to develop Formula 1 rules.”

Asked if he felt the team had received a fair hearing, Steiner said: “A fair hearing will be that they will accept the right of review and we could review it properly.

“They didn't want to go there, for obvious reasons. And that's it, end of story.

“But as long as we move forward and get better for the future, that's already a win."