Kevin Magnussen has been handed a one-race ban following a controversial incident during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where he collided with Alpine driver Pierre Gasly.
This decision comes after the Haas F1 driver accumulated 12 penalty points on his superlicence, the maximum allowed within a 12-month period, resulting in a mandatory race ban for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
The clash between Magnussen and Gasly happened at the Variante della Roggia chicane during the race. As the Dane attempted to overtake on the inside of Turn 4, he locked up and made contact with the Alpine car.
The stewards reviewed video footage and determined that Kevin Magnussen was entirely at fault for the incident, leading to a 10-second penalty and an additional two points on his superlicence. The stewards’ report indicated that the overtaking maneuver was not executed in a “safe and controlled manner,” which is a requirement outlined in the FIA’s Driving Standards Guidelines.
“The stewards reviewed video and in-car video evidence. On the approach to Turn 4, Car 20 attempted to overtake Car 10 on the inside,” the stewards’ report read.
“Whilst Car 20 had its front axle past the mirror of Car 10, the Driving Standards Guidelines specify that an overtaking car has to “be driven in a safe and controlled manner throughout the manoeuvre”.
“The stewards determined that this was not the case for Car 20 and hence the driver was wholly to blame for the collision and hence the standard penalty and penalty points are allocated.”
Magnussen’s ban was hanging over his head should he commit any more transgressions since he had already racked up his first 10 penalty points in the season’s first five races.
Despite the fact that he was spared additional penalty points after accruing five over the Miami Grand Prix weekend, the two more points he received in Monza pushed him closer to the limit required to trigger a race ban.
While Magnussen finished the race in 10th place and earned a point for his team, the FIA’s official documentation confirmed that his superlicence will be suspended for the next competition, which is the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In the aftermath of the race, the driver voiced his frustration with the penalty system, questioning the rationale behind the severity of his punishment. He noted that the contact with Gasly did not result in any damage to either car and argued that it had minimal consequences on the race outcome.
Magnussen compared his situation to other incidents during the race, highlighting that other drivers received lesser penalties for more significant collisions.
The 31-year-old driver stated, “I don’t know what’s going on with these penalties. I mean, what’s the point? We had a slight contact into Turn 4, no damage on either car. It had no consequence, nobody lost anything”.
His comments reflect a growing concern among drivers regarding the consistency and fairness of penalty enforcement in Formula 1.
