F1 News, Reports and Race Results

Magnussen's race thwarted by… a sandwich bag!

Little unassuming details can make a big difference in F1 and that was certainly the case for Haas' Kevin Magnussen in Sunday's Singapore Grand Prix.

After launching his race from P14 on the grid, Magnussen battled his way into the top ten and looked set on securing some precious points when a plastic sandwich bag swirling in the Marina Bay draft found its way onto the Haas' left front wing.

That small piece of trash had big consequences for the Dane as it upset the VF19's aerodynamics to the point where Magnussen was running four seconds off the pace after the final Safety Car period.

"It was after the [final] restart, when he all of a sudden got slower," explained Haas team boss Guenther Steiner.

"He drove by a few times and we checked [the wing] because one of the engineers said we can see a loss of front downforce, and we thought the wing was broken.

"But Kevin said he didn't hit anything, and you could not see it when he was driving by as the wing was up."

Unfortunately, the only viable recourse was to pit Magnussen to rid the front wing of its unwanted junk, which the team finally did three laps from the checkered flag.

"That is why we made a pitstop, as he lost so much downforce, so he came in and we put new tyres on and took the bag out," added Steiner.

"The tyres were going, so there was no point to stay out there. At least with a new set of tyres we can put a nice lap in and we see what it is. We got the bag."

Indeed, the team snatched the bag, but the damage was done, with Magnussen concluding his disappointing race down in 17th position, albeit after achieving the fastest race lap of the evening thanks to his set of fresh tyres.

It was but a minor consolation however.

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.

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