In a massive development, the Haas F1 team has been summoned by the FIA for the alleged breach of the International Sporting Code. It is believed that the stewards are not happy with the comments Haas team principal Guenther Steiner made during Friday’s press conference.
According to the statement issued by the stewards, Haas has allegedly breached “Articles 12.2.1.c, 12.2.1.f and 12.2.1.k of the FIA International Sporting Code during a media conference conducted on June 1, 2023“.
Haas is summoned by the FIA for alleged breach of the International Sporting Code during yesterday’s media conference.
Possibly because of Guenther Steiner’s comments on the FIA’s stewarding.#F1 #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/TBpara7vy3
— Fastest Pitstop (@FastestPitStop) June 3, 2023
These alleged breaches correspond to a situation where the individual or team is being investigated for their use of language that has caused “moral injury or loss to the FIA” or to motorsport in general.
What did Haas boss Guenther Steiner say during his presser?
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner did not mince his words during Friday’s press conference as he slammed the stewards for their decision-making at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend. The 58-year-old was left fuming after Nico Hulkenberg was given a time penalty for a ‘collision‘ with Logan Sargeant. Steiner was furious as he didn’t even believe that there was a clear case of contact between the two at the first place.
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Speaking of it, he said (as quoted by espn.com), “We need a different system for stewards. Because every professional sport has professionals being referees and stuff like this. F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world, and we still have laymen deciding on the fate of people who invest millions into their careers“.
The Italian team principal’s frustration just did not end there as he went on to explain how there is immense ‘inconsistency‘ in the stewards’ decision-making. Steiner gave the example of IndyCar and NASCAR to explain his point. The 58-year-old believes that there are rarely any complaints in these sports because they have ‘professional referees‘.
What happened to Nico Hulkenberg at the Monaco Grand Prix?
Nico Hulkenberg had a disastrous outing in Monaco last weekend, as he only managed to finish 17th. Most of the disappointment at the principality came about because of the two penalties he served.
Hulkenberg was first given a five-second penalty for causing a ‘collision’ with Logan Sargeant that he served on lap 56. However, since the German was deemed to have served this penalty incorrectly, he was given a subsequent 10-second time penalty.
