Unrelenting, Steiner hits out at stewards again

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Haas boss Guenther Steiner once again leveled criticism at F1's stewards and their lack of consistency after Romain Grosjean was hit with a 10-second penalty in Sunday's Brazilian GP.

The French driver was involved in the first lap commotion which took place shortly after the start at Turn 1 and 2.

Grosjean was tagged by Stoffel Vandoorne's McLaren as the group circulated through the sequence of turns and suffered a left rear puncture as a consequence of the contact.

A few hundred yards up the road, as he battled for position side by side with Esteban Ocon, Grosjean slid into the side of the Force India, inflicting damage which put his countryman out on the spot.

Massive hit and puncture caused first lap collision - Grosjean

To Grosjean's total surprise, he was hit with a penalty by the stewards who attributed to the Haas driver the responsibility of the incident, a decision which also amazed Steiner.

"I share in my surprise more in the verdict," Steiner said after the race.

"It doesn't influence our result here, we were done by then and we took it as a test session, nothing else.

"But he got two penalty points for a race accident in my opinion and then you see Stroll got one penalty point when the speed difference was 140kph – and that was pretty dangerous.

"I'm struggling with consistency here and I continue to struggle."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.