Mick Schumacher, Haas, Circuit of the Americas, 2022

Haas raise protest after rival teams avoid black-and-orange flags in US GP

2022 United States Grand Prix

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The Haas team has lodged two protests relating to the cars of rivals Red Bull and Alpine following the United States Grand Prix.

A representative of the team met with the stewards, following which the team’s protests were deemed admissible.

The protests concern the Red Bull of Sergio Perez, which finished fourth, and the Alpine of Fernando Alonso, which took seventh. Haas drivers Kevin Magnussen and Mick Schumacher finished ninth and 15th respectively.

Representatives of Alpine and Red Bull have been summoned to meet the stewards at 6:15pm and 6:45pm local time. Documentation issued by the FIA does not indicate what Haas’s protest relates to besides a “technical infringement” on the cars involved.

However, both cars under protest shed parts during the race. Perez lost his right-hand front wing end plate and Alonso’s right-hand mirror came off. Neither of the drivers were shown the black-and-orange flag which requires them to pit for repairs.

Magnussen has been shown the flag on three occasions this year, which has prompted complaints by Haas. Team principal Guenther Steiner queried why other cars were not given the same treatment in today’s race.

“I’m not really happy about what happened out there with the other cars that are losing bits and pieces and don’t get called in like we normally do, so we will follow-up on that one,” he said.

Haas’s protest does not jeopardise Red Bull’s constructors championship victory today, as they had done enough to secure the title without the points scored by Perez.

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Will Wood
Will has been a RaceFans contributor since 2012 during which time he has covered F1 test sessions, launch events and interviewed drivers. He mainly...

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19 comments on “Haas raise protest after rival teams avoid black-and-orange flags in US GP”

  1. About time Haas left Formula 1. Would make a handy slot for Andretti

    1. Because of their treatment of schumacher (not cause his father was my fav. driver, just based on performance) I wouldn’t mind haas leaving either. However magnussen had a good race today, but over the season not enough to fire mick.

    2. @nvherman There are three handy slots for Andretti already, and if it weren’t for the anti-dilution payments, Andretti might already be filling one.

    3. Love how a call for equality is used as an arguement for getting rid of them…

      1. @ja it’s mostly because they’re not really a proper constructor, they subcontract everything out. That’s not what F1 is supposed to be. Clearly working that way doesn’t bring them any closer to being frontrunners, so what’s the point of them?

        1. They work to the rules the FIA put out. If F1 “isn’t supposed to be” like that, why do the rules permit it?

        2. You do realise that Andretti isn’t a constructor as well right and only have talked about building their own in the future? Haas don’t subconstract everything out, they design themselves, simply doesn’t build – which in this day and age makes them more sustainable than all the rest of the teams. One of the mentioned goals of F1.

          Just perhaps now having a budget for 2023 makes them able to compete at a higher level and then the call for Andretti to replace them… but it really sounds like you want everyone gone that isn’t the top 3-5 or at least also Alfa Tauri that will never compete with their sister team.

          I guess I don’t have to repeat what Apostle wrote.

  2. Hiland (@flyingferrarim)
    24th October 2022, 0:09

    Don’t blame them!

  3. I would also add Russell to that list. Magnussen has had similar damage and been called in every time. In this race 3 cars had damaged parts and 2 of them had pieces break off in turbulent air. Perez in particular wasn’t too far in front of Vettel when his wing endplate flew off.

  4. If the endplate hadn’t fallen off Sergios car i think he would have got the meatball flag as i think the times Kmag got it it was around 7-8 laps after the bit started flapping around. Today it fell off Sergios car i think on lap 6-7 so a bit longer im sure he’d have been shown the flag.

    I think its harder to say with Alonso as i can recall mirrors flapping around like that many times with nothing been done.

    Russell’s was a non issue as while the endplate was damaged it wasn’t that bad and was only leaning over slightly and never looked like it was at risk of falling off.

    The prior Magnussen meatball flags have i think been far more obviously required as the endplate was flapping around, Bending all the way down which was a puncture risk to cars in side by side racing, Was been held on by less and looked more likely it was at risk to fall off.

    1. The earliest Magnussen have gotten it was on laps 3/4, so there is no preceedence for them to hold the decision back. On the contrary as the Red Bull have shed its end plante earlier (lap 3) in another race, which makes it a bigger liability than Haas who have never lost it.
      Twice did the end plate look just like Perez’ did in this race on lap 6.

  5. Agree with HAAS as there are different rules for different teams. In fact, Horner was commenting just a race or 2 ago about other cars with bits flapping and how dangerous it is. Crickets from Mr Pumpkin Spice today.

  6. You can’t blame Haas, there needs to be consistent application of the rules.

  7. Those calls on HAAS were just as pathetic as the penalty on Alonso and the non-penalty on Perez. Another example of what a sissy sport F1 has become.

    They could have ripped off the mirror during his pit stop if it was judged to be so dangerous, which it wasn’t.

    1. I disagree. The mirror has a reason, so unless they can bolt on a new one in a pitstop, the car should be disqualified, as he can not see behind him on the righthand side, potentially ending in him doing the same to another driver as what was done to him by Stroll, all though Stroll did it on purpose.

  8. Verstappens car had a loose left front wheel fairing in the last few laps too….

    1. I don’t think so otherwise the tyre would dropped off after a few rounds.

      1. Yes I noticed it as well for the last 10 laps or so the left wheel brow was flapping around yet no one mentioned it in commentary or after the race, very odd I thought, would have expected them all to be dramatically calling for a black and orange flag to try to create tension.

  9. Good for Haas, I was wondering today why the meatball didn’t come out for Perez as his wing looked similar to MAG’s when he got called in. Alonso, the mirror laid on the track the rest of the race, I was surprised that was allowed to fly off.

    I’m thinking the Stewards need to be docked a bathroom break in MX for missing both of these at the USGP. :)

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