02/06/2023
NEWS STORY
Incensed by the penalties meted out to Nico Hulkenberg in Monaco, Haas team boss says it is time F1 considered introducing professional stewards.
Adjudged as causing a collision with Logan Sargeant on the opening lap of the Monaco Grand Prix, Hulkenberg was handed a 5s penalty. However, having subsequently served the penalty when he pitted, he was handed a further 10s penalty for not serving the original correctly, the stewards deciding that Hulkenberg and his team "failed to serve the full 5 seconds penalty before working on the car".
Four days later and Steiner was still fuming, insisting that there was no contact between the two drivers, and that claims the German pitted at the end of the opening lap due to a puncture picked up in the clash was rubbish because it was always the intention to pit Hulkenberg at the end of the first lap.
"I think it's (Turn) six when they are in the line, and the Aston Martin is in front," he told reporters. "I looked at the pictures and Nico comes from the inside and dives into the corner, but I can't see a collision.
"I'm told that a collision is touching," he continued, "but I'm still trying to find out. I'm still trying to get it explained because I think it was completely wrong.
"This has consequences," said the Italian. "Lap one, we get a penalty for what I think is not a collision, then there is other people running into each other during the race and they get a black and white flag. I think it's very inconsistent.
"Then we look at the accident in Miami between de Vries and Norris in lap one, that was no collision? If a collision is because you attack somebody, and he reacts to it, why would you get a penalty for that? I don't understand it. And I was told in the video that you can see a collision, I looked at numerous pictures and I cannot see a collision.
"If somebody wants to tell me there is a collision, how can you be sure? And if you don't know if it is one or not, what is it then? Innocent until proven guilty? Not 'guilty until proven innocent' in my opinion."
At a time there have been numerous complaints regarding the lack of consistency in stewarding, Steiner called for an overhaul of the system.
"We need a different system for F1 stewards in my opinion," he said, "because every other professional sport has got professionals being referees and stuff like this. F1 is one of the biggest sports in the world and we still have laymen's (sic) deciding on the fate of people who invest millions in their careers. It's always a discussion because there's no consistency.
"In American racing, NASCAR and IndyCar, how many times do you hear problems with the stewards or race directors decisions? Very rarely. They're doing it completely differently because there is full-time people working there."