Haas discussed the clash internally: “In hindsight, everyone is right”

The struggle between the two Haas de Romain Grosjean et Kevin Magnussen in Barcelona (Spain) revived interest in a fairly boring Grand Prix. However, the Dane's aggressive defense, twice forcing the Frenchman to leave the circuit, was not to the taste of Günther Steiner, who spoke with his drivers after the finish. 

“We lost a few points. Am I happy with it? Of course not but we move on a thread, explains the main Italian team this Wednesday in Monaco. I find that they fought like rags without falling into intentional aggression. We talked about it and I'm not here to judge who is right or wrong.

Where does competition end and aggression begin? The two discussed the subject and agreed that they had probably attacked too much. These kinds of things can happen in the heat of the moment. As I said in Barcelona: we should have had bonus points because we spiced up a race that was monotonous to say the least. » Kevin Magnussen finished seventh, Romain Grosjean 10th.

“The only way to sort things out is to appoint a number 1 and a number 2 driver and I don't want to do that. I will not do it, certifies Günther Steiner. I like it when things stall on the track, you know. In hindsight, everyone is right. I haven't discussed the incident with them since. Because we can quickly find ourselves talking about 107 years and I don't want to say something that would please one and not the other. 

And into the tunnel…

Cat circuit continues!# HaasF1 #MonacoGP pic.twitter.com/JhBXxSXoxm

—Haas F1 Team (@HaasF1Team) 22th May 2019

The limit is a subjective and moving notion. On a restart for example, I can't tell the guy behind to keep his position. Let's imagine that the one in front experiences a problem and the other loses momentum before realizing the problem: in the meantime, we have lost positions, He continues.

Each situation is unique and I don't carry around my crystal ball to know what will happen. And in a way, I'm quite happy to have two efficient drivers who are within a few thousandths. Ok, that's a pretty good headache to have. »

Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen were less affable in the Monaco paddock, “We had a discussion with Günther, while waiting for Kevin. We talked for 20-30 minutes, explains the Frenchman. The most disappointing thing was for the team. Nobody was happy in the garage. We lost three points, or even more for the Manufacturers' championship. You can eat your fingers off. All weekend he was slower than me, it surprised me that he defended like that. I remained quite calm, I took five minutes for myself before going to the interview room. 

We are often next to each other on the starting grid. Kevin is quite aggressive, teammate or not it's a bit of the same policy for him. Next time I'll close the door. Did I really think this wouldn't happen? (this fight)? I don't know, you guess I was naive", he quips.

As for Kevin Magnussen, everything is going well. " There is no problem. It's good to be able to have a frank discussion. There is no drama. Günther is a great team leader. I can't complain about his behavior. The aim was to gather our impressions, as this situation could arise again in the future. »