Haas hits back after ’Ferrari clone’ jibe

Haas figures have hit back at Fernando Alonso after the Spaniard said the American team’s 2018 car is a "Ferrari clone".

Haas has emerged as a contender to be ’best of the rest’ behind the top three teams this year, putting in the spotlight its close ties to Ferrari.

Team boss Gunther Steiner replied to Alonso: "Before you talk, you should know what you’re talking about.

"Everyone has their opinion and I have mine, and we can be proud of our accomplishments. We are not doing anything we cannot or should not do," he insisted.

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen said it’s understandable that Alonso is frustrated about Haas.

"Of course it annoys him that we are ahead of him," he said. "I’ve been at McLaren and saw their infrastructure, and if you compare that to us, it’s going to annoy you."

Magnussen’s teammate Romain Grosjean said it’s logical that there are visual similarities between the Haas and the Ferrari.

"We use the same gearbox and suspension, and everyone knows that the suspension determines the airflow," he said.

And he admitted: "The longer the season goes on, the bigger the gap to the top teams will become. We just cannot keep up with them."