Haas launch protest against United States Grand Prix result

Haas have launched a pair of protests in Austin relating to damage being carried on the cars of Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez.

Both drivers found themselves contesting the United States Grand Prix with damage to their cars at certain stages.

For Red Bull driver Perez it was much of the race, one of the endplates on his front wing fleeing, while for Alonso he lost his right mirror that was already loose when he was passing Kevin Magnussen.

Neither driver though received the black and orange flag, which would force them to pit and have the damage repaired, despite the respective ailments of their challengers.

🚨 BREAKING 🚨

Haas have lodged a protest against the #USGP result, believing Fernando Alonso and Sergio Perez should have been shown black-and-orange flags for racing with damage to their cars.#F1 pic.twitter.com/1lU0vROpl1

— PlanetF1 (@Planet_F1) October 23, 2022

Based on events of earlier in the season, this is why Haas are not happy and have lodged the protests, as they have on multiple occasions been shows the black and orange flag due to front wing damage.

Kevin Magnussen was first hit with the black and orange flag back at the Canadian Grand Prix and then again in Hungary, the latter sparking a great deal of frustration at Haas.

It then happened for a third time at the Singapore Grand Prix, Race Control ordering Magnussen to pit due to a loose endplate on his front wing, the Danish racer perplexed by that call.

“I don’t know why I got this black and orange flag, it seems completely over the top to give me that flag,” he said after that race. “I mean, there’s no safety concern, that thing has tethers, you know, the endplate.

“It wasn’t flapping, it was just bent. It obviously had a crack but it wasn’t about to fall off. And we’ve explained that to the FIA because it’s the third time this year I got that flag because of that part.”

'@redbullracing's Christian Horner on the @SChecoPerez endplate damage: "The piece of the endplate came off. At that point, the wing was structurally safe. We worked with the [FIA] technical delegate to show him that structurally, it was sound, and they were happy with it that."

— Adam Cooper (@adamcooperF1) October 24, 2022

Haas then will feel justified in their right to question why the damage to Perez’s and Alonso’s cars was not deemed worthy of the same treatment.

And the stewards agreed, ruling both protests admissible, meaning there is a case to answer on both counts.

More to follow…

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