Just 18 months ago, Pierre Gasly found standing on the precipice of being the first ever F1 driver to be hit with a race ban for meeting the maximum threshold of 12 penalty points on his superlicence.
Introduced in 2014, the system was brought in after some controversial incidents over the previous seasons.But in over ten years of use, no driver has hit the 12-point limit that will result in an immediate one-race suspension – even if Gasly came close at the end of 2022. Over the space of six months, the AlphaTauri driver collected 10 penalty points for repeated incidents that left him just two away from a ban.
What really put Gasly under pressure was that he was sat staring down a race ban for just over 200 days, before his first penalty points would be removed from his super licence after last year’s Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, which ultimately never happened. But despite a wafer thin margin for error, Gasly successfully avoided earning any more penalty points and escaped a race ban.
In 2024, however, Kevin Magnussen is arguably in an even more precarious situation than Gasly.
How Magnussen collected 10 penalty points in two months
What makes Magnussen’s situation all the more remarkable is that he began the year with a spotless superlicence. He avoided picking up a single point throughout the whole of 2023.
The trouble began at the second round of the season in Saudi Arabia, when he squeezed Alexander Albon into the wall on the approach to turn four. Following new guidelines devised over the off-season, the stewards duly handed Magnussen a ten-second time penalty for the clash as well as three penalty points – one more than most collisions incurred last season.
He was brought in front of the stewards again in the fifth grand prix of the year in China after colliding with Yuki Tsunoda at turn six after the Safety Car restart. Although the consequences were more severe for the car Magnussen hit – as Tsunoda retired as a result – the stewards felt need to only give two points for the clash, bringing his total up to five.
But last weekend in Miami Magnussen found himself in constant trouble. During the sprint race he dropped out of DRS range of his team mate ahead when Hulkenberg missed the chicane just before the detection zone. As a result, Magnussen became the head of a train of cars and resorted to some questionable tactics in a bid to protect Hulkenberg from the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Tsunoda, running out of track limits several times to stem the tide.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
The stewards handed Magnussen four separate time penalties – three for leaving the track and gaining an advantage and one for exceeding track limits four times. While leaving the track and gaining an advantage is not typically an offence that comes with compulsory penalty points, the stewards gave Magnussen three penalty points on his superlicence for “aggravating circumstances”.
The next day during the grand prix, Magnussen would draw the attention of the stewards once again, this time for colliding with Logan Sargeant as they battled over 18th place at turn three, which sent the Williams driver spinning into retirement. Again, like with the Tsunoda clash in Shanghai, Magnussen was given two penalty points. That brought his weekend total to five and his overall tally to ten – just two short of a race ban.
As of tomorrow, the Haas driver will have 300 days until he loses his first penalty point from his superlicence next season. While Gasly had to hold on for nine grands prix, Magnussen must avoid a penalty for the remaining 18 rounds of 2024 – twice as many races as Gasly, with four sprint rounds on top of that.
But having picked up so many penalty points picked up in such a short space of time, were Magnussen’s offences really serious enough for him to deserve to be this close to a ban?
For
If Magnussen gets a race ban for reaching 12 points over a full calendar year, so be it. It’s telling that no other driver over the last decade – not even the much-derided Pastor Maldonado – managed to reach 12 penalty points since the system came into effect in Formula 1, but Magnussen could be the first.
That he has picked up ten points over the course of three race weekends means he fully deserves to be facing a ban. After all, in soccer, you only get one yellow card before a red – which comes with mandatory suspensions for at least a game or more.
It’s also fair that Magnussen will have to be careful for almost a full season to avoid a suspension. He successfully went through all of 2023 without getting a point, so he’s clearly capable of it.
Against
When the penalty points system was brought in, what was it for? Was it not to punish poor and dangerous behaviour in drivers that had begun to creep in in the early 2010s, or was it to give bans to veteran drivers just because they happen to build up a series of minor infractions?
Although seven of Magnussen’s ten points have come from collisions, can his driving really be seen as dangerous? Yes, some of his moves have been ill-judged, like Shanghai and Miami, but is three points for lightly squeezing Albon in Jeddah really fair?
The calendar has also exploded in the last decade. Back in 2014, there were only 19 races. This year, there are 24 grands prix and six sprint races – that is 57% more racing. Inflate the penalty points by that same amount and 19 points would be a fairer limit.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
I say
It’s very hard to say whether Kevin Magnussen deserves to potentially be branded with the ignominy of being F1’s first banned driver under this points system. Although he’s certainly been involved in his fair share of incidents over the years for his uncompromising driving style, he might not be among the first names to come to mind if you’re asked to think of F1’s dirtiest drivers of the last 20 years.
Ultimately, it’s fair to suggest that the maximum limit threshold should be lifted in the age of sprint races. Given that three of his ten were accrued in a sprint race, it’s possible that there are going to be more drivers who might end up flirting with a suspension before the end of the season.
Does F1 really want to become a series where driver suspensions become a more regular occurrence? Or does the system need to be changed to deter truly dangerous driving behaviour as seen in many junior series over the years? In this instance, the idea that Magnussen could go almost 20 rounds without a single penalty and then be hit with a suspension due to incidents from the start of the season does not sit right.
You say
Does Kevin Magnussen deserve to be on the brink of being hit with a race suspension? Have your say in this week’s poll.
Do you agree that Kevin Magnussen deserves to be two penalty points away from a race ban?
- No opinion (1%)
- Strongly disagree (23%)
- Slightly disagree (6%)
- Neither agree nor disagree (2%)
- Slightly agree (24%)
- Strongly agree (45%)
Total Voters: 126
Loading ...A RaceFans account is required in order to vote. If you do not have one, register an account here or read more about registering here. When this poll is closed the result will be displayed instead of the voting form.
Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and
Debates and polls
- Is Mohammed Ben Sulayem doing a good job for F1 as FIA president?
- Five years on, should F1 scrap, keep or tweak the fastest lap point?
- Should Sainz and Perez have avoided penalties for their Azerbaijan GP crash?
- Is F1’s record reliability rate making the sport better?
- Should F1 ensure ‘sustainable’ fuels are no pipe dream before ditching hybrids?
knightameer (@knightameer)
12th May 2024, 12:11
100% agree. If there’s a system to penalize such driving, then they should stick to it and issue a race ban when the points say so.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
12th May 2024, 15:27
This exactly. That KMag admitted that his illegal moves were motivated by aiding the team makes this behavior worse, in my opinion. It should definitely be curtailed. It would be a bad precedent to set by not taking this seriously.
wsrgo (@wsrgo)
13th May 2024, 5:48
@ferrox-glideh KMag seems to me like a guy who knows his career is over, he’s just trying to bow out in as memorable a fashion as possible.
If I were Haas, I would sack him before the end of the year, get in Bearman to replace him for the final 5-6 races of the season so that he can get a leg up in experience before next season, when he will most likely replace Hulkenberg. Haas can then make a play for someone like Gasly for the other seat next year.
NoelyNoel (@noelynoel)
13th May 2024, 13:02
I see it differently. I see him fighting for his career, showing other teams that he can get his elbows out and push like hell for a place and work for the team in managing the pace of other cars. Many of his incidents have come from poor execution of such moves and the principle behind some of his blocking/holding cars back is questionable from my perspective, but I can’t knock his efforts to attract interest from other teams within and outside of F1 for his future racing career.
BasCB (@bascb)
12th May 2024, 17:30
Exactly. It was bad enough that Gasly stopped getting points when he got near a ban, but at least he could say that many of those points were for infractions not directly related to racing. But Magnussen really has been close to overdoing it while racing other cars for years and now that he’s got into the habit of just doing this constantly, it is EXACTLY what the points are for.
Red Pill (@redpill)
13th May 2024, 10:08
@bascb
Exactly! Kmag has been doing this for years; go back and read about his driving in 2019. Look back at the days when Grosjean was there. The team would show up to a favored track badly needing 1 point, they would quali well 8th-10th, the car was fast. After the start they typically always shunted, whether it was into someone else, they did it to themselves, or even worse they would collide into each other and Haas would be out of the race. It was almost like clockwork.
Steiner failed to handle them and the team was severely effected by this
I’m fairly sure Kmag does not have the skills to drive fast and avoid contact at the same time. The most important thing for a driver (Other than winning) is to get the car over the finish line and score; Kmag does that poorly.
I think him getting all these points (the ones teams do not want) is a strong indicator its time to replace him and give the opportunity for another driver who is more keen helping Haas score points whenever possible and get the car across the finish line. Like what Hulk has been doing.
Lastly, have your read his comments about not willing to help a junior driver next year, that he’s already busy with kids at home and not his job work to mentor. He sounds like a pill.
J765
12th May 2024, 12:17
I disagree, he should already have had a race ban and be midway through his second race ban.
Haas drivers have been gaming the rules for too long to obtain points. I’m ok with playing hard to avoid being overtaken , but absolutely against willingly stacking penalties to help your team / teammate.
Suffering Williams Fan
12th May 2024, 12:20
I was basically going to say the same thing – he should have been banned already.
S
12th May 2024, 12:35
The thing is, though, this behaviour (or strategy) is no different to any other team order that teams use.
It’s an inevitable consequence of having a teams’ championship that determines how much prize money each team gets.
It’s also the logical conclusion to allowing the teams to communicate to both drivers at all times, telling them how to drive, when to pit, what their competitors are doing and what they need to do to score the team a point or two.
You can’t dislike the outcome without also disliking the conditions which make it possible – likely, even.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
12th May 2024, 15:28
You are probably right!
SjaakFoo (@sjaakfoo)
12th May 2024, 16:29
Yes, it’s a sign of weakness from the stewards that they chose not to give him enough points already. And while disagree with the points system being used for infractions like track limits by default, that doesn’t mean that when a driver is knowingly cheating to give a competitive advantage to his team the consequences shouldn’t be severe.
We DQ teams and drivers when their car’s weight is .1 over the weight limit. Or when their wings are a mm off of spec. But this we let go with a little slap on the wrist and then in subsequent infractions, we make sure to never give points so they won’t get that race ban.
Then why have a points systems at all?
Jere (@jerejj)
12th May 2024, 17:01
@sjaakfoo I think you mean ‘below’ the minimum weight limit because being overweight is perfectly okay.
I disagree with the part about stewards, though.
notagrumpyfan
12th May 2024, 17:32
It’s not the amount of points, but the effectiveness of penalties.
Race Control and Stewards need to be much quicker and more decisive in handing out corrective penalties (give place bakc, drive through, etc) rather than wait until after the race.
BasCB (@bascb)
12th May 2024, 17:31
Yeah, that is why I voted neither agree or disagree, because I think he should have gotten benched earlier.
Red Pill (@redpill)
13th May 2024, 10:20
Agreed, he should be replaced asap by Haas. Why should a team badly needing to score points have a driver who can’t press hard because of fear of getting suspended every time he races this season, how is that going to work well for the team? It would be like tying one hand behind your back going into a fight (for the whole season).
Why should they wait and Haas put themselves in a corner keeping him in a seat?
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
13th May 2024, 13:09
I disagree – there’s no way Kevin deserves a ban more than Max. If he never got one, then they should wipe the points using the “verstappen can do anything” clause in the regulations
BLS (@brightlampshade)
12th May 2024, 12:45
Personally I’m quite looking forward to the backflipping of logic the stewards will go through to avoid giving kMag any more points for the rest of the year.
sam
12th May 2024, 16:57
Exactly, well put.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th May 2024, 17:01
I highly doubt that’ll be the case. They never avoid giving penalty points for the sake of avoiding.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
12th May 2024, 17:18
They did when Gasly was knocking on the door of a race ban. They did similar for Hamilton in 2020, for example rescinding some of his penalty points for Russia.
SteveP
12th May 2024, 18:41
The rescinded points were ones where, post race, they agreed that the directions stated the practice start was allowed after a particular point on the pit exit, but had not specified a point that it should be before – so the assumption that anywhere up to but not beyond the end of the pit exit was allowed was actually a reasonable assumption.
Since they hadn’t announced the penalties until immediately before the formation lap, there was no opportunity to argue the case until after the race and the in race penalties had already been served. Whether they
Basically, the stewards and RD acknowledged that they were wrong to have applied any penalty at all, but I don’t know whether they apologised.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th May 2024, 18:34
I think you’re in for a surprise, like it happened with gasly indeed, hopefully magnussen keeps driving like this, if he does he could reach 24 penalty points but will be somehow stuck at 11!
BasCB (@bascb)
12th May 2024, 17:31
On past cases, yeah that is pretty much my expectation as well.
Johnny
12th May 2024, 13:02
He is and has always been a dirty driver.
Nick T.
12th May 2024, 13:48
It’s too bad that K-Mag always ends up going over the limit and getting downright dirty. It’s nice to see someone who really defends hard and he usually even does a good job at it as well as coming back with neat re-passes, but then he goes and ruins it by pulling dangerous blocks, moving in the braking zone, overtaking off track, etc. Now it’s unlikely he’ll even be able to defend hard even when it’s fair because of his reputation.
Nick T.
12th May 2024, 13:50
Didn’t meant to respond any comment in particular, but this one works as well as any other since he always has been a semi-dirty driver. F1 already makes overtaking hard enough. When you can’t trust the driver you’re racing with, it becomes nearly impossible.
Johnny
12th May 2024, 18:25
And I think that’s important. Alonso is difficult to overtake but the doesn’t do the dirty as K Mag, on the contrary he goes just to the line and knows how to get right to it. Evidence of that was two races ago with George Russel. Where Alonso’s move wasn’t necessarily dirty, it was extremely savvy unfortunately the stewards didn’t like the safety aspect of it.
In a way a lot of what Kevin does is things that Verstappe did plenty in the early part of his career, certainly even into the 2021 season. It’s just that when you’re in a title hunt the stewards way always reticent with their verbiage and unwilling to impact the title race. But Verstappen should have been banned a race in the 2021 season for certain.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th May 2024, 18:36
As for verstappen in 2021, it was either aggressively defending or might’ve well stopped coming to races and given up on the title later in the year, when mercedes had a rocket.
SteveP
12th May 2024, 18:45
The word you were perhaps searching for is “devious”
I thought process that says “I can possibly get away with this”
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
13th May 2024, 13:11
Exactly, you can’t discriminate against drivers! If Kevin’s name was Max Verstappen, he’d have no issue so a name change just for the FIA should fix this and get most of Kevin’s points removed.
Philip (@philipgb)
12th May 2024, 13:46
I don’t think just a ban for Magnussen as a driver, but serious questions need to be asked about HAAS as a team and how they are scoring points
In 2008 Renault had crashgate where a driver deliberately did something to benefit the teams other driver. While Magnussen’s actions haven’t been quite as controversial as that, it’s still a situation in which one driver is deliberately incurring penalties and playing dirty to allow the teams other driver to collect points. How is that acceptable?
The correct action here is both Magnussen being penalised and the team having their constructors points stripped from them to dissuade these sort of unsporting tactics
Nick T.
12th May 2024, 13:53
Well, he/they won’t be able to get away with it again, but I agree, if a driver is defending using illegal tactics to aid a teammate, it should result in an automatic driver through or command to let the illegally defended driver through, especially when that driver is outside the points. Otherwise, the penalty has no teeth.
bosyber (@bosyber)
12th May 2024, 15:28
Hm, interesting to take the defending team(mate)’s interest rather than those of the driver as a possible aggravating fact; it does make some sense since that means that the driver has possibly a lot more incentive to not care about the in-race consequences Nick. T. and @hilipgb
For me, doing something close to the edge, can be interesting from a driver, but in a special situation and not as a habitual thing. Just as I didn’t like Verstappen making a habit of not caring about simply driving a competitor off the track to overtake (and many will say, the ‘clever’ way Hamilton had of forcing a driver to have to go off track, thus granting him an overtake, though that is a bit less blatant imo), I very much don’t want it to be commonplace, so in that sense this penalty is probably much needed.
And Magnussen very much fits that bill. With him it’s not that he is out of control, it’s more like in a football match where some defenders are good at harshly stopping a competitor in their tracks and fine with taking a yellow if they need to, and that too, if it becomes a way of play, makes it a grim affair (and dangerous). So, yeah, let’s see him be more respecting of boundaries for the rest of the season, we know he can.
Suffering Williams Fan
12th May 2024, 14:58
Completely agree regarding docking Haas constructors points here. I don’t think it’s actually within the scope of the rules (for this kind of behaviour) as they stand at the moment (though I could be wrong), but Haas should absolutely not be benefitting from this kind of driving by one of their drivers.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th May 2024, 18:41
Yes, I also agree with this, because once a driver already has a penalty and it’s clear he won’t have any chance to make it into the points, he’s now helping the team by blocking, even going beyond what’s allowed by the rules, the only way is hitting the team.
I would also use the same rule for teams that use their number 2 driver to take out the number 1 driver of the opposite team in a tight championship battle, although in that case there should be a way to dock points from the team mate of the cheating driver too, cause example in hungary 2021 mercedes couldn’t care less about constructor’s points, hamilton benefitted from bottas taking out his opponents.
MichaelN
12th May 2024, 13:54
Agree with those who’ve noted it’s overdue. Magnussen has always been a dodgy driver, but he’s now going out of his way to break the rules intentionally to give himself and his team an advantage. Part of the blame has to go to Ayao Komatsu who leads the Haas team and, apparently, expects this of his drivers.
Laz
12th May 2024, 16:36
There was no order given by Komatsu to hold up Hamilton and co in Miami, KMag just did that of his own accord. There was an order in Saudi Arabia after he had already incurred his penalty, but from what I’ve read Haas are generally embarrassed by the way Magnussen conducted himself in Miami. Backing up the competition is fine, breaking rules to do it is not.
MichaelN
12th May 2024, 17:34
His comments on the day:
“I had to play the game again.”
“I started using these stupid tactics, which I don’t like doing.”
“I did my job as a team player.”
“Not the way I like to go racing, at all, but what I had to do today.”
Do suggest there is, if not an order, then at least an understanding at Haas that they expect this of their drivers.
I haven’t seen Magnussen do anything like this before at his previous teams, and his repeated contrite comments do suggest he’s not super happy about this situation.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th May 2024, 18:44
Agree, very suspicious about there being a hidden order by haas, they could’ve agreed to it pre-race to avoid saying anything via team radio.
MichaelN
12th May 2024, 17:36
To add to that, although Magnussen is ultimately to ‘blame’ for his antics on track, it’s perhaps not entirely fair to put this only on him. So since the stewards will probably stop giving penalty points anyway, the better approach to solve this might be for the FIA race director to have a chat with Magnussen, Hülkenberg and Komatsu at the next Grand Prix to straighten things out.
Adam (@rocketpanda)
12th May 2024, 16:18
I think if it were just him driving out there for himself and being an absolute weapon it would be different, punishable and deserving of an inevitable race ban – and probably discussions about driving standards in overtaking. But he’s openly admitting he doesn’t want to do it, he’s doing it and destroying his own races to ensure his team-mate scores – and that plan has been so far successful.
Stacking penalties on one car because the impact is meaningless as long as the other car scores is an interesting tactic, not entirely within the rules but how do you ban something like that? How do you enforce control on that tactic? At this stage it’s got to be something that hits Haas harder than it hits Magnussen, really. After all he’s presumably only doing what he’s been told to do.
Jere (@jerejj)
12th May 2024, 17:04
@rocketpanda Although he costs the team higher points amount opportunities, which is unbeneficial in the longer-term.
Red Andy (@red-andy)
12th May 2024, 18:15
One fix is to ensure that time penalties aren’t “stacked” for repeat infringements to actually escalate up the scale; so for example a 10-second penalty for a first offence becomes a drive-through or stop-go for repeat offences. Then in a case like Magnussen’s, he gets moved out of the way very shortly after starting his dubious defence.
This doesn’t require any changes to existing rules or guidance, just for the stewards to start doing their jobs properly.
Mark Zastrow (@markzastrow)
13th May 2024, 0:28
The simple answer is, just award points down to 20th place. That way, Magnussen would actually be punished for ruining his own race.
But my take is, I don’t actually want that to happen — I love watching teams and drivers exploit the spirit of the rules for their own gain. That’s what makes F1 cutthroat and fun! If he gets a race ban in return for scoring points, so be it. For Haas, it would arguable be well worth it. They would get to evaluate Bearman for a race to inform their decision for next season, and then Magnussen gets to start all over at the next race with a clean slate.
pcxmac (@pcxmac)
12th May 2024, 16:27
just fine the team, if it’s worth it for the team, they will keep doing it, if not, they will adjust. I started noticing this whole banning what ever garbage over 12 years ago, and its childish and inane. Revoke the guy’s super license if hes driving dangerously, but before anything, don’t have double standards for some people like Max who gets to run people off the track in an equal powered car, when guys like Alonso are getting punished because the guy behind him is an idiot.
Its bizarre. So bizarre. F1’s double standards and inability to steward fairly pretty much makes the whole what ever point moot. Ban the stewards I say its the only thing that will ensure fair rule.
bernasaurus (@bernasaurus)
12th May 2024, 17:53
I didn’t have a problem with what he did in Saudi (and neither did the stewards). It was intelligent, robust and safe.
But Miami was awful. If he did that in an online lobby he’d have been booted out at the next opportunity. Once he started losing positions you wondered if he’d start going around backwards whilst the stewards ‘ghosted’ his Haas. That a despairing Lewis didn’t seem to care I think says more about Lewis’ current mind set than anything.
The Logan incident we’ve seen 100 times before, Kmag isn’t the first to go for that gap. But as a whole I wouldn’t be disappointed to see him sit a race out and maybe have a little time to think what kind of driver he wants to be.
Nulla Pax (@nullapax)
12th May 2024, 18:13
There isn’t a driver on the grid who wouldn’t break the rules to get even a single championship point.
Regardless of a black mark from teacher.
You can’t act all offended and shocked if a naughty boy decides to push the system.
Of course he deserves to be where he is, and he knows it full well.
Pinak Ghosh (@pinakghosh)
12th May 2024, 18:25
I will have to slightly disagree as Magnussen is not the only one to blame here. There is no doubt that some of his moves were questionable, but equal onus is on Haas, the team for whom he drives, to step in and say more than once is not cool. If every driver who are not in points suddenly starts pulling off such drives to help their teammates, who are either in top 10 or can potentially end up in top 10, then the sports as a whole would not be better off.
Philip (@philipgb)
12th May 2024, 18:35
But why would HAAS step in when what he is doing is gaining then championship standing and millions in prize money?
Maybe they aren’t actively planning these actions with him, but he’s serving the team and likely his own interests when they renew his contract
When members of the McLaren team were caught cheating with Ferrari IP the team had their constructors points stripped. When members of the Renault team conspired to engineer the Singapore 2008 result the team were issued a suspended disqualification
Magnussen had proudly admitted he broke rules to the benefit of the team. I think a stripping of constructors points would be entirely appropriate
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
12th May 2024, 18:50
In this case yes, constructor’s points docking should work, but there’s more dangerous possibilities of this: if you take abu dhabi 2021, what stops perez from purposely hitting hamilton to make verstappen win the title or bottas doing the same to verstappen to make hamilton win the title?
Even if you dock constructor’s points in that case it doesn’t help, cause they’re focusing on the driver’s title, and even if you ban the offending driver the damage is done, I would go as far as hitting the team mate of the cheating driver with penalties as well when stuff like that happens.
SteveP
12th May 2024, 18:54
From Kmags comments to the press, post race, it looks very much like Haas are actively encouraging the actions, if not actually requesting that he do it.
I can’t see them stepping forward to stop what they seem to have actually asked for.
lynn-m
12th May 2024, 19:14
In decades past I dread to think how many drivers would have suffered absurd race bans with these silly over–regulated unnecessary penalties & points nonsense the show that used to be a sport suffers with today.
It’s just anti-racing nonsense that woudl have been laughed at a decade ago when F1 was still actually a sport that encouraged hard racing rather than a show that wants nothing but easy DRS highway passes.
A driver shouldn’t ever be banned from a race unless he does something monumentally crazy, dangerous or intentional. Grosjean’s recklessness at Spa in 2012 been the obvious example since it was the last race ban (from memory) & TBH i’ve probably have sat Vettel out of a race after he intentionally drive into Lewis in Baku in was it 2017? (I still think that was at least worthy of a black flag).
Drivers should never been put off racing hard or aggressively for fear of going over the silly nanny state penalty point system.
roadrunner (@roadrunner)
12th May 2024, 19:59
I strongly disagree because he shouldn’t be there in the first place.
Passing someone off track as one cause of their license being revoked half a year later is just nonsense.
Penalty points that lead to a race ban should only be used for actions on track that are plein dangerous. Like speeding and ignoring any flags or for collisions caused by gross negligence or recklessness etc.
For his (and his team’s) antics he should have received a drive through. A penalty that would have taken away the advantage they gained unfairly almost immediately and would have been (unlike the ordered swap of positions) severe enough to work as a deterrent for others.
cdfemke (@cdfemke)
12th May 2024, 20:40
If not, whats the point for the ban system then. Rules are there for a reason, not just as vague suggestions
jenc (@jens)
13th May 2024, 14:34
For each and every penalty Magnussen has gotten this year, we have seen other drivers get away without penalty for the very same situation.
E.g. Albon overtook Stroll outside racing line in same turn where Magnussen got a penalty to defend against Hamilton in Miami. Exact same, but no penalty for Albon.
The overtake in Jeddah where he misses the next turn due to high speed. Veratappen did the very same in Hamilton in Bahrain. No penalty to Verstappen. Hulk got a lasting advantage for cutting the chicane in Miami (Magnusse out of DRS) but didn’t get a penalty.
Stewards are way too harsh against Magnusssen, and I don’t agree to the notion here “Magnussen has always been like that”. It’s the stewards who are trigger happy towards Magnussen. Like the year he fot the hamburger flag three times, and when the first other driver had a loose wing element (Perez) nothing was done and no flag given. Instead hiw to handle those situations were changed afterwards.
Red Pill (@redpill)
14th May 2024, 9:02
@jens
Sounds like you haven’t watched a lot of Mag’s in F1.
Just google: ” third collision between Magnussen and Grosjean ”
That was way back in 2019, 5 years ago. That season and many other articles referencing his on track behavior, shunts, DNF’s and often on-track contact before that and well after that, seems to prove he has always been this way.
stefano (@alfa145)
12th May 2024, 22:15
I agree. It’s this guy half of the times
Michael (@freelittlebirds)
13th May 2024, 13:06
There is no way Magnussen deserves a ban more than Max Verstappen.
Ben-Hur (@ben-hur)
14th May 2024, 22:11
KMag, have a beer on me!!