Guenther Steiner lashes out at FIA over Max Verstappen FAVOURITISM

Max Verstappen

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Steiner lashes out at FIA over Verstappen FAVOURITISM

Guenther Steiner was livid at the inconsistency from the stewards

Matthew Hobkinson Lead Editor

F1 Editor & Journalist

Saturday 1 July 2023 15:57

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has lashed out at "inconsistent" decision making from the Formula 1 stewards, after Max Verstappen avoided punishment for allegedly impeding Kevin Magnussen during qualifying.

The two-time world champion was summoned to the stewards on Friday evening to have his say after he was accused of impeding a flying lap from Magnussen during the first part of qualifying.

The Dutchman eventually avoided any punishment for the incident, with the stewards stating that Magnussen "did not have to take significant evasive action".

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Yet Steiner was adamant that should a Haas car have been the one accused of impeding in the same scenario, the stewards would not have been so lenient.

Steiner: We would have got a penalty for Verstappen's actions

Steiner was not pleased with the decision from the stewards not to punish Verstappen

“They’re inconsistent," he told Sky Italy. "Max didn’t do it on purpose, but the rules are the same for everyone.

"When I heard that they checked the audio of the sound of the engine and assumed Kevin didn’t slow down, and they concluded that Max didn’t do anything, I was confused because it was not true.”

“They’re so inconsistent with their decisions depending on who’s deciding. If the situation had been reversed, we would’ve got a penalty. I’m almost sure about this.”

FIA Ruling

Max Verstappen will be looking to make it race win number seven in Austria

"The driver of Car 1 [Verstappen] stated that he saw a car approaching after he crossed the line at the end of his push lap and moved to the left of the track after the exit of Turn 1," the FIA statement read.

"The driver of Car 20 stated that he had to move to the right to avoid Car 1 and hence lost time on his fast lap.

"The Stewards determined from the video (and audio) evidence that Car 20 had clipped the kerb in Turn 1 and that this subsequently caused a slight change in acceleration which in turn resulted in a slightly slower time on the next mini sectors.

"The Stewards further determined that Car 20 did not have to take significant evasive action."