Steiner: One day we will have a good show in F1

Haas team principal Gunther Steiner says he disagrees with Formula 1’s current need for fuel-saving, following Kevin Magnussen’s disqualification from the United States Grand Prix.

The Dane was stripped of his points finish at the American squad’s home event after being found to have exceeded the maximum fuel allocation of 105kg during the race in Austin.

Magnussen had finished sandwiched between the Force India duo of Esteban Ocon - who was also thrown out of the race for a fuel-related infringement – and Sergio Perez in ninth place before the penalty.

F1 is set to increase the maximum fuel allocation to 110kg for next season and Steiner hopes the on-track spectacle will improve under the new rules.

“In the end, that’s our responsibility to control the fuel amount, but I still disagree with Formula 1 having to run on these rules," he said. 

“I hope next year, with having 110 kilograms, this will change, but we change another rule and put a big front wing on, so maybe this will be the same.

“One day we’ll get to have a good show, but at the moment it isn’t.”

Prior to Magnussen’s penalty being confirmed, Steiner had spoken of his frustrations of the heavy impetus placed on fuel saving in modern-day F1.

“It’s a fuel save race,” Steiner explained. “We could have had such a good fight between the two Force Indias and us without it, because they had to fuel save as well. It’s the same for everybody.

“I hope with the regulations next year, having more fuel that helps so we can race actually without always thinking we have to lift, lift, lift, are we not getting lap - it depends how fast you can go.

“If you put ourselves a factor in there, we want a good show, but then make sure you put a regulation in that you don’t get one.

“You want to drive, you want to drive fast but you have to save fuel. It’s called racing. If you want to fuel save, you do something else.”

Following the race, Magnussen hit out at fuel-saving, claiming it is spoiling F1 races as he dubbed the sport ‘Formula Fuelsaving’.