Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has been fined €7,500 by the FIA for his outburst on the radio during the Russian Grand Prix.
Steiner described one of the stewards as “stupid” and “idiotic” after Kevin Magnussen was given a five-second time penalty for rejoining the track incorrectly after going off at turn two.Stewards’ ruling on Guenther Steiner
During the Russian Grand Prix on September 29, 2019, counting towards the FIA Formula One World Championship, the panel of stewards imposed a five-second-time penalty to one of the drivers of the Haas F1 Team. The team principal of the Haas F1 Team, holder of a FIA Super License, after the race was over, took the opportunity to make comments on this decision during a radio message to the relevant driver.
In that message he said: “…if we didn’t have a stupid idiotic steward we would be eighth… You know who is the steward. You know him. It is always the same. He just does not get any more intelligent…”. This message over the team radio was broadcast to the public and has since been carried by a number of media outlets in both print and audio form.
The stewards of the Russian Grand Prix referred the matter to the stewards of the Japanese Grand Prix as is provided for in Article 11.9.3 t) of the International Sporting Code. Their authority was delegated both because certain members of the Haas F1 team had already departed the circuit and because there was a potential conflict with at least one of the members of the steward panel in Russia.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
On October 11, 2019, the stewards conducted a hearing with Mr Steiner. He confirmed that his comment was related only to a single steward of the Russian Grand Prix panel. He didn’t intend to single out other stewards of that panel. Therefore, he has no objection to the present panel hearing this case, even though the chairman was also the chairman at the Russian Grand Prix. During the hearing Mr Steiner said that his radio transmission happened in the heat of the moment after a hotly contested race by his drivers. In retrospect, he regretted his choice of words used at the time. He did not intend for his words to reflect unfavourably on the FIA officials of the event and the championship.
Nevertheless, the affected radio communication as transmitted at the time is an insult to the Stewards of the event and calls into question both the skills and the integrity of those stewards. Such statements harm the reputation of motorsport in general, the FIA in particular, and call into question the professionalism of the officials of the FIA. While any factual criticism of Steward panel decisions is always welcomed in private discussions with that panel, public personal attacks against individual officials are totally inappropriate and will not be accepted. The wording used by Mr Steiner has caused moral injury to FIA officials, was prejudicial to the interests of motorsport and therefore shall be deemed to be a breach of the rules as defined in Articles 12 1.1.c and 12.1.1.f of the International Sporting Code. As a person holding a FIA Super License, Mr Steiner is subject to penalisation by a fine according to Articles 12.1.4, 12.2.1, and 12.4.1 of the International Sporting Code.
Since no penalties have been imposed on Mr Steiner for similar behaviour in the past, a fine of the amount imposed is considered appropriate. However, in the event of future violations, it may become necessary to consider whether a team should be penalised, along with any individual involved, with harsher sanctions.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
2019 F1 season
- Crying in the Melbourne car park at 2019 grand prix was my career low – Ocon
- McLaren Racing reports reduced £71 million loss in 2019
- Kvyat: Hockenheim podium last year was “my biggest achievement” so far
- How the FIA’s new encrypted fuel flow meter targets Ferrari’s suspected ‘aliasing’ trick
- “He smashed my office door”: 23 must-see moments from ‘Drive to Survive’ season two
Chaitanya
11th October 2019, 6:44
Facepalm
wayne
11th October 2019, 6:57
the world is coming to an end with overly sensitive men! what ever happend to sticks and stones…
DAllein (@)
11th October 2019, 7:00
It has nothing to
do with “sensitivity” of men.
Xcm
11th October 2019, 20:19
I agree, I would use a much worse word, referring to a females genitalia.
God damn snowflakes are ruining the world…
Chaitanya
11th October 2019, 7:02
Far worse things were said during Mexican GP 2016 which were allowed to slide and they start a witch hunt here.
bosyber (@bosyber)
12th October 2019, 8:53
Uh, and wasn’t that followed up on subsequently? I think it was.
F1oSaurus (@)
11th October 2019, 11:36
In soccer you are also not allowed to insult the ref. Why would that be allowed in F1? For non Ferrari team members at least.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
15th October 2019, 19:16
@wayne It’s been against the rules for 13 years, because Scott Speed was fined €5000 in Australia 2006 for referring to a marshal using a profane insult, and he wasn’t even on radio or any sort of broadcast medium at the time. The fact that he was in a stewards’ disciplinary meeting, and within the hearing of said steward when he uttered the insult, suggests that his timing could have used some improvement. (No, I don’t think we ever got told the exact insult that was found to be so offensive).
Mayrton
11th October 2019, 6:58
I suggest he crowd funds his way out of this. Fairly easy to get sufficient money from fans who agree with his comment
Mike
11th October 2019, 7:45
He’d get 75 000 from crowd funding, he only needs 7500 :D
Jimmi Cynic (@jimmi-cynic)
11th October 2019, 7:56
Besides, this will all be charged to Netflix – to their petty cash fund
Shimks (@shimks)
11th October 2019, 12:59
@jimmi-cynic Haha! I was thinking exactly the same thing – bring on Season 2!!
John H (@john-h)
11th October 2019, 7:56
Who was the steward for which “moral injury” has been inflicted?
Jere (@jerejj)
11th October 2019, 8:44
@john-h Emanuele Pirro.
Esploratore (@esploratore)
11th October 2019, 12:44
ABSOLUTELY fair then!
Esploratore (@esploratore)
11th October 2019, 12:44
No one ever heard of him, became famous for a wrong penalty in canada, not a good way.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
11th October 2019, 13:38
Who Pirro?
The 5 time Le Mans Winner and Former F1 driver
Never heard of him
Garns
11th October 2019, 13:55
Emanuele Pirro has been around a while, and as Dutch say won some Le Mans and drove some F1. The guy knows what he is doing, I think a warning for Steiner maybe?
Inwine Veritas
11th October 2019, 8:07
Who were the stewards in Russia?
Is Günther referring to Andrea Pirrlo specifically, who took Vettel’s win in Canada?
Jere (@jerejj)
11th October 2019, 8:44
@Inwine Veritas Gerd Ennser, Andrew Mallalieu, Emanuele Pirro, and George Andreev.
Inwine Veritas
11th October 2019, 9:41
Thanks!
So, Emanuele Pirro…should probably be dropped for 2020, as the rule book is nowadays applied less rigidly.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
11th October 2019, 15:14
That change only really came into effect after Canada. The harshness was consistent with various other pre-2019 punishments
F1oSaurus (@)
11th October 2019, 11:33
Vetel wasted that win by cracking under pressure again. Just dont blame other people for Vettel’s failures
AliceD (@aliced)
11th October 2019, 12:06
Vettel finished first, it is you who is deluded.
Dutchguy (@justarandomdutchguy)
11th October 2019, 15:17
Vettel broke the rules, it is you who is deluded.
Verstappen did similar things and whenever anyone complained about the penalty (for reasons such as inconsistency or the infraction being only minor), said person was written off as Verstappen-fanboy. whilst the incident might go unpunished now, the penalty was in line with the application of the rules at the time.
But the lack of consistency has been an issue for longer (Rosberg, Mexico 2016; Bottas vs Ricciardo, USA 2017)
RB13
11th October 2019, 15:55
@aliced aw diddums are you not content with your gifted win at Singapore to make up for his error?
Adrian Hancox (@ahxshades)
11th October 2019, 8:25
Would he have been fined if the comments hadn’t been chosen for broadcast?
Tomcat173 (@tomcat173)
11th October 2019, 8:43
@ahxshades Surely not. It would hard to prove there was some moral injury if no one heard it!
chimaera2003 (@chimaera2003)
11th October 2019, 22:59
I suspect it is about the content and implication rather than anyone being offended. It would set a bad precedent if someone went truly crazy on the radio, it wasn’t broadcast due of the craziness and they then got away with it.
Would just encourage people to go ballistic as that would be their best chance of getting away with it! Although to be fair the bleep machine has been used a fair amount so maybe it would be broadcast if the craziness was turned up to 11!!
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
15th October 2019, 19:17
@ahxshades If the comment had come to the attention of a FIA official and there was no expectation of privacy (which there cannot be on radio calls), then yes. Fines have been given to people who were not on record at the time. Ask Scott Speed.
PaulK (@paulk)
11th October 2019, 8:57
I guess Steiner’s comment can be applied to yet another penalty.
BrawnGP (@brawngp)
11th October 2019, 9:53
What about when Vettel said F you Charlie in Mexico last year, did he get punished for that?
Andy (@andycz)
11th October 2019, 10:00
Last year? You mean 2016?
Chaitanya
11th October 2019, 10:04
Did you forget the team he drives for?
BrawnGP (@brawngp)
11th October 2019, 10:52
lol didnt seem that long ago.
good point Chaitanya.
RB13
11th October 2019, 16:03
Ferrari International Assistance – no penalty.
anon
11th October 2019, 19:34
@brawngp, he wasn’t, but that was because Vettel behaved rather differently after the 2017 Mexican Grand Prix.
In his case, Vettel seems to have realised pretty quickly he’d overstepped the mark and, immediately after the race, he went straight to Whiting and apologised in person for his rant, before later making a formal apology to the FIA. Vettel also publicly apologised for his behaviour and stated that he was wrong to have been so abusive.
In that case, Whiting felt that Vettel was genuinely embarrassed and ashamed of what he had done and, with Vettel making a personal apology to him, Whiting was happy to leave the situation there.
In the case of Steiner, his behaviour was rather different – he’d repeatedly insulted the stewards, before declining to speak to any of the stewards about his behaviour and promptly leaving the circuit. Whilst Vettel was prepared to say “What I did was wrong”, Steiner hasn’t showed any interest in apologising for his behaviour or showed any contrition for his remarks – that seems to be why the FIA have taken stronger action against him than they did against Vettel.
bosyber (@bosyber)
12th October 2019, 8:56
Yep, that seems like an accurate description of what happened in both cases.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
15th October 2019, 19:21
@brawngp No, because he apologised immediately, and the race official insulted (Charlie Whiting) used his discretion to accept the apology and thereby waive the penalty.
Less leniency has historically been exercised when the individual insulted is not a part of the FIA’s staff, since volunteers are the lifeblood of motorsport and those volunteers lower down the ladder see insults and worry junior competitors might get ideas. They’re also usually less used to breezy language from the drivers because, unlike Charlie, they haven’t had time to get to know the regular F1 drivers at a personal level. As such, they are generally less likely to use their discretion to excuse a competitor for insulting them. The fact Guenther showed no remorse for his comments (even in the hearing) would not have helped matters either.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
11th October 2019, 11:20
He was awarded 7500€. Ah fined? Why would he be fined? Who was the steward?
What happened to enhancing the show? Team principals being politically incorrect and very entertaining? Did we tune in to watch drivers moan and principals with polished statements for the media?
I want to see passion, racers on the track and in the pits throwing on a good motor race.
Stewards in generally improved quite a bit this year. And KMag is a douchebag supported by his Boss. But then again there are several like him or worse on track at any given moment and some in the pits. None as entertaining as Steiner.
Alianora La Canta (@alianora-la-canta)
15th October 2019, 19:22
@jureo Motorsport volunteers, on the other hand, want to know they will be able to get through their day without being insulted. Behaviour at the top that is condoned by the FIA tends to trickle down (good and bad), so the FIA is rightly keen to encourage stewarding respect, to continue the vein of volunteers that keeps motorsport possible.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
16th October 2019, 6:18
All sports generally shun when disrespect is shown to the officials. And in all sports there are issues with their judgement.
Stewards though are not volunteers?
Leftwarrior
11th October 2019, 11:33
Freedom of speech doesn’t mean freedom from consequences.
lunaslide (@lunaslide)
11th October 2019, 14:21
I do kinda love Steiner, especially after the Netflix show.
Sean (@seanloh)
12th October 2019, 6:44
Buxton reported that when Steiner was summoned he yelled down at the TV crews “See you in Austin!” this man is epic.