Freak drain-cover crash: Haas seeks R9-million for damaged F1 car

Sepang - Gunther Steiner has confirmed reports he is seeking compensation for Haas' repair bill from last weekend's Malaysian grand prix.

In practice, Romain Grosjean's car sustained a reported $650 000 in damage when a drain cover came loose on the Sepang circuit.

An invoice made out to Sepang boss Razlan Razali did the rounds on the internet, but it turned out to be a fake. 

Razali said: "It is purely a malicious attempt by certain parties to somehow disrupt the finale of the Malaysian grand prix this year." 

Steiner has confirmed that Haas is indeed pushing Sepang to pay the bill.

Steiner added: "We can't simply say 'Ok, we lose three quarters of a million dollars because someone forgot to do some welding," he is quoted by the Spanish daily Marca.

"We paid to come to Malaysia - everyone pays.  We have talked about it and they were professional. They have insurance, so let's see what we can do."

Watch the crash here: