Source: Renault F1 Media

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Renault denies Haas protest broke secret agreement between teams

Renault denies Haas protest broke secret agreement between teams

14-09-2018 15:45
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Jake Williams-Smith

Renault has moved to deny that their protest against the Haas floor from Monza was against any agreement teams had behind the scenes. The French team lodged a complaint after the checkered flag at the Italian Grand Prix with the FIA disqualifying Romain Grosjean after deeming the floor on the VF-18.

Speaking to Autosport, Renault executive director Marcin Budkowski explained that Haas knew about the issue with their car and that it was clear they had to fix the area for Monza.

"We all look at each other's cars on a regular basis," Budkowski said.

"Us and I think quite a few other teams spotted a few races ago, because I think it was a floor that was introduced in Canada.

"It's true that there hasn't been a protest for a long time. It's not a question of a gentleman's agreement or not a gentleman's agreement, they were given a number of races by the FIA to make that floor legal.

"We didn't have a problem with the time they were given. But they didn't respect this time. I don't think they were really caught by surprise there.

"What I think Gunther is probably referring to is that if we spotted something illegal on a car, we wouldn't protest immediately, we would probably talk to the FIA or to a team before to sort it out.

"The TD was pretty public, wasn't it? We were expecting like everybody else that they would come with a floor that complies with the technical regulations in Monza. We were surprised that they didn't."

Haas has lodged an appeal over the decision with a court date in the future key to the constructor standings as Haas and Renault fight for best of the rest behind the top three teams.