Currently fifth in the constructor standings, 19 points down on Renault and just 2 clear of Force India, but for some bad luck - and equally bad driving - the American team might actually have been a firm fourth in the standings.

At Silverstone, as in Austria a week earlier, Haas was clearly best of the rest, yet in the wake of a first lap collision involving both its drivers and a subsequent clash involving Romain Grosjean and Carlos Sainz, the team left the Northamptonshire track with just two points.

While a brace of unsafe releases in Melbourne got the season off to a less than perfect start, things haven't been helped by Grosjean's continued erraticism.

Now, team boss Guenther Steiner warns enough is enough.

"I am not happy," he said of Sunday's first lap clash, according to ESPN. "They can happen but it shouldn't happen. We need to be better than that.

"That's the conclusion out of this," he continued. "We need to stop losing points.

"We are in the points now but we lose them, we do it ourselves. While last year we needed to get into the points, now in the moment we need to stop falling out of the points so that's what we need to get better at.

"The first lap incident, you have no control over anything," he admits. "It's down to the drivers and sometimes stuff happens which shouldn't happen. I am sure Romain didn't do it on purpose, why would he drive into his teammate?

"But it happens so the drivers need to get better at avoiding these situations as at that point the team can't do anything. I am not a race car driver."

In the face of mounting criticism of Grosjean, who finally appeared to come good in Austria, only to throw it all away again a week later, Steiner said: "I will be supportive because that is what I need to be because we want to succeed as a team.

"I don't know where the tipping point is," he added. "I am not there yet but at some stage, as I said before, we need to stop losing points... that is the tipping point.

"We can't keep on doing this. We are through half of the season and we must have lost a lot of points because of our own mistakes and that is not acceptable."

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READERS COMMENTS

1. Posted by copy_dude, 15/07/2018 13:47

"It's a shame about Grosjean. Another one of those drivers who never matured. Quick but not witted?

Nice idea about Kimi, but he has lots of options - including spending time with a rather beautiful wife and kids. I also read that McLaren wouldn't mind buying some 'instant popularity' either. Any truth in that, Editor?

Perez to Haas most likely.

"

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2. Posted by Editor, 14/07/2018 11:39

"@ FQITW

Good call... Kimi is certainly up for another season or so... and Haas could be just the place"

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3. Posted by FQITW, 14/07/2018 10:04

"@Steiner: We need to stop losing points

Yes, stop losing points but start losing drivers.

Grosjean has had so many chances, far more than most and when you consider a driver like Kimi is rubbished daily and probably going to be let go at the end of the season who deserves a place more?
OK he won’t beat Vettel to the title but he is still a regular points scoring driver continually starting from the front and most importantly he is super quick.

Remember how good Kimi was going to a little team like ‘Lotus’? -he thrived.
He does not do it for the money (he got knocked for a lot of his salary at his time at ‘Lotus’) so Haas could pick him up reasonably and it would be money very well spent – and saved in repairs….

If I was Gene Haas I would be on that phone now.
"

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4. Posted by nonickname, 13/07/2018 14:14

"A simple solution for all.
Fernando goes to Haas and does F1 and Indy 500 and smiles. Probably at a good retainer if he carries Kimoa with him, and Haas get a top driver who needs a car/team like theirs and can bring results and give input.
And perhaps a paying sponsor or two.
"

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Steiner: We need to stop losing points

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