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Irish Mirror
Irish Mirror
Sport
Daniel Moxon

Guenther Steiner wants "level playing field" as Haas chief demands FIA consistency

Guenther Steiner has demanded more consistency from the FIA in the wake of their complaint over the use of black and orange flags in Formula 1.

One of the lesser-spotted flags in F1, it has made a few controversial appearances this year. And that has happened at the expense of Haas, with Kevin Magnussen forced to visit the pits so car damage can be fixed on no fewer than three occasions in 2022.

That is why Steiner was so unhappy when both Sergio Perez and Fernando Alonso were allowed to continue with damage during the USGP. Haas protested against both after the race, which initially saw the Spaniard given a 30-second penalty several hours after the end of the Grand Prix.

That has now been reversed again, meaning Alonso has been reinstated into seventh place, because Haas' protest came too late. Speaking to Mirror Sport before that second meeting with the stewards, Steiner had said he did not think it would change – but that was later proven to be incorrect.

But in the wake of this latest mess, and plenty of other examples of inconsistency from race directors and stewards this season, the Haas chief wants improvements to be made. "As long as these concerns are taken seriously I think we can move on, positive that F1 can sort them out," said Steiner.

"It's not something we the teams can do, the FIA has to do it and I believe the president can sort it out. There is evidence that there is inconsistency. I don't know the structure of the FIA, and who am I to tell them what to do?

Haas felt Fernando Alonso should have been shown a black and orange flag for his damaged right wing mirror (Getty Images)

"We just have to live with the decisions, which is never nice if they are inconsistent and unfair. We should all be on the same playing field, and at the moment it doesn't seem to be. I don't think it's too difficult to sort out."

Reacting to the news that his P7 finish in Austin had been reinstated, Alpine said: "We thank the FIA stewards for convening and reaching a positive conclusion on the matter involving Car #14 from last weekend's United States Grand Prix.

"The team welcomes the decision made by the aforementioned stewards, whereby Car #14 reinstates its seventh place finish and six points from the race. We look forward to continuing our collaborative work alongside the FIA to ensure the racing spectacle is maintained to the highest quality."

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