Haas team boss Guenther Steiner could be in trouble with the FIA for his complaints Formula 1 stewards at the Russian GP.
His driver Kevin Magnussen faced a late charge in Sochi after being given a five-second penalty for going off track and not rejoining correctly while battling Sergio Perez.
Six qualifying-style laps later and the Dane would only lose one place from his original position in P9 but over the radio, the frustration was clear as Steiner said the call had been made by “a stupid idiotic steward”.
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That comment could be considered a breach of the regulations regarding bringing the sport into disrepute, much like Sebastian Vettel’s outburst in Mexico in 2016.
And FIA race director Michael Masi has confirmed there could be an investigation.
“The FIA has got its various judicial processes,” he said.
“I’ve heard about the comments that were made on the radio. I haven’t seen them directly so I’m not going to comment on what those are.
“At the end of the day we’re all here to do a job, be it officials, the teams, everyone. There has to be a level of mutual respect.
“If something’s been said that’s inappropriate, there’s those that are in charge of the judicial elements away from the event that can look at it.”
Interestingly, Haas’ other driver Romain Grosjean praised the stewards for their approach post-race in Sochi, despite feeling aggrieved at being taken out on the first lap.
“I got a penalty in Austin last year for lap one!” he recalled. “I don’t care, racing is good at the moment, and the FIA is doing a good job.
“Obviously when you’re taken off you’re pissed off, especially in our situation, when we don’t know when is the next time we’ll have a competitive car, so it puts a lot of pressure on us.
“Kevin [Magnussen] did a good race and showed we were good this weekend, so that’s good for the team, but it’s hard to digest when you know you have a shot at something good. I’m not blaming anyone, I just think it was very avoidable and maybe a bit too aggressive from some.”