Haas to send RM3.2 million repair bill to Sepang International Circuit

Updated 6 years ago · Published on 4 Oct 2017 11:37PM · 0 Comments

The car of Formula One driver Romain Grosjean of Haas F1 Team is lifted onto a tow truck after it crashed into the barriers at high speed after hitting a loose drain cover in a practice session ahead of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit, near Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on September 29. – EPA pic, October 4, 2017

HAAS will be billing the Sepang International Circuit for the US$750,000 (RM3.2 million) worth of damage to Romain Grosjean’s car caused by a drain cover on the track coming loose during the Malaysian Grand Prix weekend last week.

A Haas spokesman told ESPN that the sum was a “ballpark” figure, and the total cost was yet unknown.

At the post-race media session, Haas team leader Guenther Steiner had confirmed that the matter of compensation had been raised with the FIA. 

“Oh yeah, absolutely, you have to. It was completely out of our hands. I cannot say ‘OK we now let three quarters of a million go because somebody forgot to weld something in, it’s all good’. 

“We pay a fee to come here and it’s like, guys (come on)....”

“We discuss it, they were very professional about it. They have insurance so let’s see what we can do.”

Grosjean’s car was flung into the barriers at high speed on Friday after a drain cover popped up at a curb on turn nine. The impact ripped the right rear tyre from its rim and sent the out-of-control car careering into the safety barriers with an impact estimated at 17G (17 times the force of gravity).

The Haas car sustained extensive damage and the team was given special dispensation to carry out repairs overnight on the track, which was usually strictly off limits to the racing teams. The FIA had granted that “the circumstances causing the crash of Car 8 were entirely and clearly beyond the control of the driver and the competitor”.

The track, meanwhile was given the all-clear on Saturday after the FIA welded down the drain cover and performed a check on the rest of the drainage installations around the circuit.

Steiner, however, was angry at the the state of the track.

“Thank God he didn’t get hurt or anything,” Steiner told AFP on the day of the incident.

“The car is damaged, in my opinion, things like this in 2017 shouldn’t happen on a permanent circuit, they shouldn’t happen on any circuit.

“This is, in my opinion, not acceptable. This is not up to the standards.” – October 4, 2017.

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