Steiner happy after seeing Haas get back in the points

The Banbury team head to Silverstone on the back of a satisfying Austrian Grand Prix.

Romain Grosjean earned six points by finishing seventh in Sunday’s race at the Red Bull Ring while Banbury team-mate Esteban Gutiérrez continues to knock on the door of a point-paying finish, coming home 11th for the third time this season.

Grosjean employed a one-stop strategy for the 71-lap race.

Steiner said: “We’re finally back in the points but we didn’t make it easy for ourselves. The whole team did a fantastic job and we ended up seventh and 11th.

“Romain got a time penalty but we managed to remain in our position. His tyre strategy was a little different than most but it worked and the car was quick.

“For Esteban, his start wasn’t great, so he lost a few positions. His tyre strategy didn’t work as we planned but he managed to climb up the grid to finish in 11th, half a second behind [Pascal] Wehrlein.

“It will be Esteban’s third time in 11th, so it shows he can do it and the team can do it too. Overall, it’s a relief to have points again and we’re looking forward to Silverstone.”

Gutiérrez said: “It was a very difficult race from the start. Going on anti-stall, we lost a lot of ground.

“After that I was recovering, trying to do my best to fight all the way up to the front on a different strategy from what we had planned. In the end, the pace was pretty good.

“We were regaining positions and getting back to being in good shape but we were struggling with grip. We ended up 11th, very close to scoring points.

“It’s not great but at least we fought all the way with what we had. I’ll keep pushing and focusing on the next race.”

Grosjean added: “It was a pretty good race. The first lap was not great, I was pushed out by another car and I lost quite a few positions.

“I managed to pick up some pace and run well. The safety car came when we had planned our stop, so that helped a little bit. After that I was behind [Jensen] Button. I was trying to chase him and overtake him but it was just too hard to follow another car and then be able to pass.

“I learned I had a five-second penalty so I had to open the gap to the car behind. I really pushed it to 100 per cent every lap, which was quite fun but stressful as well.”