Steiner: 'Appropriate punishment must be found for cheating'

Haas team boss Guenther Steiner has responded to a letter Zak Brown had sent to the FIA. In the letter, the McLaren team boss called for severe penalties for teams that overstep the budget cap, and Steiner has now backed up that call.

Talks between Red Bull Racing and the FIA around a possible penalty for breaching the budget cap are currently at a standstill due to the death of Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz. The two sides have reportedly already agreed on a penalty, but its announcement is still being delayed until a more appropriate time. Whatever the punishment, it will be a challenge to convince everyone that it is the right one, as everyone in the sport seems to have their own opinion.

Brown called for harsh punishment for cheaters in letter

McLaren team boss Zak Brown had sent a letter to the FIA prior to the race in Austin calling for tough action against teams who were - in his words - "cheating" and breaking the rules. After the race, Haas team boss Guenther Steiner was asked by the assembled media for his opinion on the letter.

"This is like going below the minimum weight, or using too much fuel. We ourselves were excluded from a race because of a technical violation of three millimetres that didn't even benefit us. But for all those things there is a penalty attached. There is no rule that says if you cheat you will be disqualified. So there you need to find the right penalty for that."