Kevin Magnussen looks set to miss the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix after accumulating 12 penalty points on his Formula 1 superlicense following a clash with Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix.
The Haas charger was running up the inside of the Alpine driver at the Variante della Roggia chicane when he locked up his left front and nudged Gasly as the pair entered the corner, forcing the latter to run wide.
Magnussen - who finished the race tenth on the road - was adjudged by the stewards to “be wholly to blame” for the incident which earned the Dane a 10-second penalty and two additional penalty points, bringing his tally to 12 and triggering an automatic race ban.
However, Haas could appeal the decision although the team has yet to clarify its intentions.
"The stewards reviewed video and in-car video evidence,” stated the officials’ report. “On the approach to Turn 4, Car 20 attempted to overtake Car 10 on the inside.
"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."
After accruing 10 penalty points if the first five races of the 2024 season – and 10 points in the Miami Grand Prix alone – Magnussen no longer had any margin for error.
Nevertheless, the Haas driver was frustrated by the stewards' decision, feeling that the penalty was harsh given the circumstances of the clash with Gasly.
"I don't understand it at all,” he said. “You know, flat out, just completely confused.
“Me and Gasly raced hard into Turn 4. Before, we had slight contact, we both missed the corner, came back on track again, no damage to either car, no consequence to the race of either of us, and I get a 10-second penalty.”
The Danish driver also compared his sanction to a separate incident in the race involving his teammate Nico Hulkenberg and Daniel Ricciardo, questioning the consistency of the penalties given.
"But lap 1, Ricciardo put Nico in the grass at 300km/h, completely destroyed Nico's race, massive consequence and damage to Nico's car, and he gets a five-second penalty. Where's the logic? I just don't get it."
For Baku, Haas has backup options with reserve drivers Oliver Bearman and Pietro Fittipaldi available to step in.
Bearman has already filled in this season for Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz at Jeddah when the Spaniard was recovering from appendicitis, while Fittipaldi replaced Romain Grosjean after his severe crash at the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
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