Haas boss Guenther Steiner said it is unacceptable for any modern-day race circuit to have drain covers that could come loose after seeing his team's driver Romain Grosjean crash heavily in Sepang.
Grosjean's car made contact with a drain cover which had been dislodged from its normal position on the kerbs of Turn 13 by Valtteri Bottas' Mercedes and Kimi Raikkonen's Ferrari moments earlier. The drain tore the right rear tyre from Grosjean's car and sent him spinning out into the wall, prematurely ending the session. The French driver walked away unhurt.
Steiner did not hide his frustration at the incident in Friday's team principals' press conference and pointed out how bad the incident might have been if it happened in the race.