Haas Team Principal Guenther Steiner has stressed that his squad is seeking “equality” for everyone in Formula 1, amid its protest against Force India.
Haas lodged a protest against both Force India cars and a hearing was held on Friday, with stewards deferring a decision until Saturday due to the amount of evidence.
Neither Haas nor Force India has officially communicated the reason behind the protest, but on Friday evening Steiner briefed media to provide his and Haas’ side of the situation.
“I cannot speak too much,” said Steiner. “What we are seeking for is equality for all the teams.
“We came in under certain circumstances into Formula 1, we were aware of what we have to do, we did it all, and we feel that this was not done this time with Force India.
“So that is we are just seeking quality or at least an explanation why it isn’t done.”
The convoluted manner in which Force India’s acquisition by the Racing Point group was undertaken meant it arrived at the Belgian Grand Prix as a new entrant.
It was stripped of the points it previously earned and started at the foot of the Constructors’ Championship, but the majority of teams agreed that Force India’s prize money situation should not change.
When asked why Haas did not protest at the first opportunity, Steiner said: “I think we weren’t ready and we tried to mediate and find an amicable solution as we tried to do.
“But we didn’t get neither a good or bad answer, we didn’t get any answer. So at a certain point you need to do what you need to do.”
On the exact point of protest, Steiner was coy, commenting: “There is not one answer, simple yes or no. There is a lot behind it.
“So if I say one thing, it could be perceived that I said something wrong.”
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