Kevin Magnussen, Fernando Alonso, Monza, 2018

Alonso criticises “not very clever” Magnussen but stewards clear both for clash

2018 Italian Grand Prix

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The Italian Grand Prix stewards have taken no action against Fernando Alonso and Kevin Magnussen for their incident during qualifying which forced both drivers to abort their laps.

The stewards ruled “the incident between car 14 [Alonso] and car 20 [Magnussen] at turn one did not specifically constitute unnecessary impeding by either driver, notwithstanding the fact that both drivers lost their lap.”

Alonso said he couldn’t understand Kevin Magnussen’s decision to overtake him at the beginning of their final runs in Q2, saying it ruined the Haas driver’s chance to reach Q3.

Alonso was running behind Lance Stroll and in front of Magnussen as they approached the Parabolica before beginning their final runs. Magnussen then overtook Alonso, who slipstreamed back ahead of the Haas and tried to overtake him around the outside of turn one. The pair lost time while disputing the position and both had to abort their laps, missing the cut for Q3.

“We were all together on the out lap in the last corner,” Alonso explained. “He decided to overtake in the last minute and fill in between two cars and we were already starting the lap. We had to compete into turn one.”

Alonso says he was not to blame for Magnussen’s lap being spoiled. “If it’s my fault probably the stewards will give me a penalty,” he said before the decision was announced. “I don’t think so because I was ready to prepare the lap and he filled the car in between two of our cars and use that gap.

“But obviously it was way too late in the out lap to choose to do that. We fought into Q1. He’s here, talking to the press, not in Q3, with a car that can be in Q3. For me it doesn’t change much, for him it was not very clever.”

Magnussen’s team mate Romain Grosjean, who was running behind him in the queue, made it into Q3 and qualified sixth.

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Team radio from the incident

To Alonso:So it looks like we’re in a pretty good place here. We’re the seventh car in the queue, I think.
Alonso:No problem with timing if they drop out?
To Alonso:So we have two minutes from now until the session ends. Should be no problem with timing. Just remember to warm up the tyres in the straight. In front of you the two Mercedes have shot out, Bottas and Hamilton. Vettel’s trying to keep up with them. Then you’ve got Sirotkin, Gasly and Stroll who are right in front of you.
To Alonso:So currently you’ve got two seconds to Stroll, in front of him two seconds Gasly, in front of him two seconds Sirotkin. Basically all now similar gaps and you’ve got one minute until the chequered flag so loads of time, recharge early.
Alonso:Oh, abort.
To Alonso:OK Fernando understood. Just be careful cars behind you. Magnussen is… Grosjean now three seconds behind you, Magnussen one second behind him.
Alonso:Yeah Magnussen wanted to race into T1 (laughs).
To Alonso:OK. Raikkonen is now the car behind you he is two seconds. Looks like Magnussen screwed his own lap as well. So Raikkonen right behind you. Magnussen the car behind you now. And Ocon is the car behind Magnussen.
MagnussenWhat the hell is he doing?
To Magnussen:Behind, behind there is Romain on a quick lap. And now Kimi Raikkonen.

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33 comments on “Alonso criticises “not very clever” Magnussen but stewards clear both for clash”

  1. Looking forward to the end of the season and no Alonso next year.

  2. Good thing Fernando’s retiring!

  3. I agree with the Stewards’ decision, but I also agree with Alonso.

    1. I noticed the 2 Haas’ behind Alonso on the out lap. Evidently Magnussen went around him instead of backing off and letting ALO run his hot lap like the others were doing.

      I think ALO saw it as disrespectful (and it is) and I agree with him in this case. MAG could have backed off like all the others.

      In any case, he had more to lose than ALO and did.

  4. Magnussen tried to overtake Alonso in the last corner. Poort thinking from him because Alonso would have had to ruin his lap in order for Magnussen to have a clean chicane at the end of the straight, something that was never going to happen.

  5. Incredibly Alonso can not be punished for anything.

  6. There was the entire warm-up lap to overtake him if Mag thought Alonso was going to impede him, and he decided to overtake him in the last corner? How was that going to help anyone?

      1. @hatebreeder From watching their onboards it seems to me Alonso only began slowing down towards the end of the lap, which tallies with what Magnussen describes here:

        https://www.racefans.net/2018/09/01/magnussen-says-disrespectful-alonso-laughed-in-his-face-after-qualifying/

        1. @keithcollantine Alonso’s onboard seems to show that he was preparing and was only warming his tires before beginning his hot lap. Doesn’t look like he slowed down so much that Mag assumed he was going to impede everyone behind him. Seems like he was following standard hot lap procedure of slowing down a little before accelerating. But I could be seeing it wrong.

          https://streamable.com/kmhy4

          1. Thanks! and I agree – Alonso was not at fault.
            MAG is out of control as usual.

          2. Why would you slow down at Monza’s warm up lap at the end.
            Doesn’t make sense.

          3. The stream shows Alonso deliberately slowed down, giving up the chance for a tow on the car in front of him. Magnussen decides to pass Alonso (probably to get or maintain heat on his tires), which obviously was the moment Alonso has waited for. Because when he sees Magnussen passing him, he immediately hammers the accelerator, which is the opposite of normal behaviour for a racedriver in this qualification situation. There was one goal with this, and that was to destroy Magnussen’s lap.

            How the stewards let this happen without punishing Alonso, must be (i hope) because the rules says nothing about such idiotic behaviour. Alonso deliberately gives up his own chances, because he decides to pursue personal revenge instead. We all know this type of people – they have very few true friends.

          4. @hatebreeder Thanks for the clip. Just the fact that Magnussen was defending off the racing line tells you he was not really in it for the lap time, it was just to get Alonso.

  7. When it is all presented, the stewards made a good call. I think MAG messed up jumping in line at the last minute and ALO decided to have some fun trying to force him into a mistake.

  8. How was Alonso thinking that he could make a good lap trying to overtake someone on the outside in T1? This would never happen – Alonso only did this to destroy Mag’s lap as a payback for Mag overtaking him before Parabolica. As Mag overtook Alonso – I heard it was app 300 m before Parabolica – Alonso should’ve backed of a bit to be able to get a decent lap time – instead he accelerated and ended up destroying both drivers laps. Again he shows why none of the big teams want him – he is seeking revenge for anything that is going against him, instead of trying to maximize his own results. His reaction afterwards was also like – hehe, Magnussen’s run for Q3 was destroyed, more than he was annoyed that he didn’t reach Q3. Strange attitude, but I also think that maybe Haas should’ve send out Mag earlier than the rest to get a clean run without traffic – I think the risk of something like this happening to him was higher than the benefit of the improved track. I’m sure a clean run before the end would’ve kept Mag clear of the 5 last in Q2.

    1. Alonso’s lap would/was compromised, backing off into Parabolica would have caused him to be even slower down the main straight affecting his lap and chances (albeit slim) of Q3.

      Alonso was right to pay Magnussen back, if he wanted to overtake and move ahead in the queue as @Hatebreeder said, he had the whole outlap to do so!

    2. @palle And yet when Bottas did the exact same thing to Verstappen in Baku 2016, no one batted an eye. It’s mainly down to an agenda against Alonso I suppose.

  9. Happy to lose Nando so long megalomaniac get your crown in a 2 horse WEC. F1 is better without you and don’t forget your deck chair if you get bored.

  10. I know Alonso said that he’s in a happy place at this point in his life, but I don’t get the sense that he really is.

  11. This guy is the worst driver in the history of Formula 1, from the sporting point of view.
    Obviously he drives very well, but that does not mean anything.
    Read this:
    https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/magnussen-slams-alonso-after-monza-run-in/3169362/?nrt=54

    1. Why do any one have to read the link? What, just because Magnussen told something, he is right?
      Magnussen decided to destroy Alonso’s last attempt and got a lesson.
      If Alonso was smart, he would answer the same as Magnussen said to Hulk.

    2. Sadly Alonso has always suffered from mental instabilities… and his behaviour now, prior to departing F1, is that of a petty playground bully… IMHO – lol.

  12. Michael Brown (@)
    1st September 2018, 20:00

    Glad that there were no penalties and hopefully there won’t be rules made on this either.

  13. About time somebody taught the brat Kevin Magnussen a lesson

    1. Very insightfull🙄

  14. It is good for the sport that Alonso – drama Queen – retires. A good driver who i have lost all respect for.
    Guess he has got his five minutes of frame for the remaiming Monza f1 2018. If the results aren’t there you might as well create some headlines by damaging others pace.

    Alonso make way for the next generation!

  15. Magnussen clearly destroyed Alonsos lap by overtaking him before the Parabolica. He should have allowed a gap, just as Alonso was doing with the car before him, instead of jumping into the gap Alonso made. That was disrespectful! And lost him a chance in Q3.
    But hey, that is Karma!

  16. Saw the onboard clip from both drivers, and I would have to point the finger at Magnussen. Typical trolling from K-Mag.

    Check out the video: https://www.instagram.com/p/BnOLk5qhyow/?taken-by=xexu_f1

    If you watch the clip from Magnussen’s onboard, you could clearly see Alonso was giving himself space from the car ahead and was simultaneously warming up his tires, when K-Mag decided to go full speed and sail past the McLaren. Only, he left it too late and put himself in a bad spot.

    Now riding onboard with Alonso, after the Haas passed him you could see Magnussen then brake earlier into Parabolica (vs Alonso) and bobble as he throttled it mid-corner; which compromised his exit and speed heading into the pit-straight/Turn 1, leaving him ripe to be re-passed through slip stream.

    Magnussen should have had better spacial awareness and backed-off when Alonso (ahead of him) did. And similarly, Alonso should have known better and not played the Haas driver’s game after he was overtaken (should have backed off himself after that).

    But yeah, typical K-Mag and his hot headed antics (reminds of what Montoya did in practice during Monaco 2005; when he tried to troll his ex team-mate, R Schumacher, by brake testing him in Casino Square thereby causing a pile-up from the cars behind, and earning himself a penalty in qualifying).

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