close
close

first Drop

Com TW NOw News 2024

Italian GP: Haas’ Kevin Magnussen faces race ban over penalties
news

Italian GP: Haas’ Kevin Magnussen faces race ban over penalties

Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has been suspended for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix after receiving his 12th penalty point for a collision with Pierre Gasly at last year’s Italian Grand Prix.

Magnussen is just one serious incident away from a ban since receiving his tenth penalty point at the Miami Grand Prix in May.

Under Formula 1 rules, any driver who accumulates 12 penalty points within a 12-month period will have his superlicence automatically revoked for one race, meaning Magnussen will not be allowed to race in Baku in two weeks’ time.

He is the first F1 driver to be banned under the penalty points system since it was introduced in 2014.

Haas has not yet announced who will replace Magnussen, but Formula 2 driver Oliver Bearman, who has already signed on to replace Magnussen next year and who replaced Carlos Sainz when the Ferrari driver suffered appendicitis in Saudi Arabia, is the obvious candidate.

Magnussen collided with Gasly at Turn 4 as he attempted to pass the Alpine driver on the inside. He was given a 10-second in-race penalty for the collision, but still finished 10th and scored a single point.

“On the approach to Turn 4, car 20 (Magnussen) attempted to overtake car 10 (Gasly) on the inside,” a stewards statement said.

“As the front axle of car 20 passed the mirror of car 10, driving standards guidelines state that an overtaking car “must be driven in a safe and controlled manner throughout the manoeuvre.”

“The stewards have determined that this was not the case for car 20 and that the driver was therefore fully responsible for the collision. The standard penalty and penalty points are therefore awarded.”

Before the two additional penalty points were confirmed, Magnussen said he did not believe the incident warranted a ten-second penalty.

“Yeah, I’m frustrated about the penalty — I don’t understand it at all. Just completely confused,” he said.

“We went hard into turn four, we touched slightly and both missed the turn. We got back on track, no damage to either car, no consequences for the race for either of us and I get a 10-second penalty.”

When told he would receive two penalty points, Magnussen added: “I just know I got the two points from you, I haven’t heard it officially yet.

“But I said all the time I’m not going to hold back, it doesn’t make sense. I scored a point today, so see you later.”