For those who’d have advised Haas going into this Formulation One season that, after Miami, it will have factors from 4 rounds and sit seventh within the championship, the staff would have been delighted.
A automotive that’s extra forgiving on its tires, mixed with some significantly spectacular shows from Nico Hülkenberg, has put Haas a step forward of Williams, Sauber and Alpine to this point in 2024. It has surpassed all preseason expectations, set low after a troublesome finish to final 12 months, wherein it completed final, and that resulted in Guenther Steiner’s offseason exit.
On a few events, the deciding issue to make the highest 10 has been Hülkenberg’s teammate, Kevin Magnussen, whose daring defensive ways — it wouldn’t be a stretch to name them aggressive — have helped his teammate snare a few further factors.
However after a penalty-laden weekend in Miami, Magnussen will spend the remainder of the season getting ready to an F1 race ban for his driving habits, assuming he doesn’t set off it with yet one more offense.
At a time when the gulf between F1’s quickest 5 groups and the slowest 5 is so nice, each single level is efficacious within the battle in the back of the grid, significantly as every constructors’ championship place is value within the area of $12-15 million in prize cash.
Magnussen had this in thoughts in Saudi Arabia after choosing up a time penalty for a collision with Alex Albon early on and one other for passing Yuki Tsunoda off-track. Realizing his race was ruined by the added time, he received aggressive in his defensive strikes to assist Hülkenberg. By slowing down the automobiles he was combating, Magnussen created a spot that meant Hülkenberg might pit with out dropping a place, protecting tenth to attain a treasured level for Haas.
Publish-race, Hülkenberg thanked Magnussen for enjoying the staff sport. Magnussen picked up three penalty factors for the collision with Albon, whereas the overtake on Tsunoda solely resulted in a 10-second time penalty — despite the fact that it had value the automobiles behind much more.
Magnussen picked up one other two penalty factors in China for his collision with Tsunoda after the protection automotive restart, placing him on 5 for the season. Any driver who accrues 12 penalty factors on their tremendous license in a 12-month interval is topic to a one-race ban, per the foundations launched in 2014.
Kevin Magnussen’s 2024 driving offenses
| Race | Offense | Penalty |
|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | Inflicting a collision with Albon | 10s time penalty; 3 penalty factors |
| Saudi Arabia | Leaving the observe and gaining a bonus | 10s time penalty |
| China | Inflicting a collision with Tsunoda | 10s time penalty; 2 penalty factors |
| Miami (dash) | Leaving the observe and gaining a bonus | 10s time penalty |
| Miami (dash) | Leaving the observe and gaining a bonus | 10s time penalty |
| Miami (dash) | Leaving the observe and gaining a bonus | 10s time penalty; 3 penalty factors |
| Miami (dash) | Leaving the observe and not using a justifiable cause a number of instances | 5s time penalty |
| Miami (GP) | Inflicting a collision with Sargeant | 10s time penalty; 2 penalty factors |
| Miami (GP) | Coming into the pit lane beneath security automotive and never altering tires | Drive-through, transformed to 20s time penalty |
Nevertheless it was within the Miami dash race that Magnussen did himself the actual harm, once more to assist Hülkenberg rating a number of factors. He went off-track on three events to assist keep forward of Lewis Hamilton, opening up a spot to Hülkenberg forward within the course of. Every triggered a 10-second time penalty that meant Magnussen was categorized final, however his actions have been efficient in permitting Hülkenberg to hurry away in entrance.
Magnussen was already conscious of the primary 10-second time penalty dropping him to final earlier than the second and third offenses, the latter additionally leading to three penalty factors on his tremendous license due to the frequency of the misdeeds. Publish-race on the radio, he talked about some “good teamwork”, and admitted afterwards to F1 TV that he needed to “needed to do my factor to guard Nico” who scored two factors for Haas in seventh.
“I needed to play the sporting sport to not have him be overtaken as effectively,” Magnussen stated. “So, not the best way I need to go racing. However what I needed to do.”
The stewards investigated Magnussen for unsportsmanlike habits after the dash, given he so freely admitted to driving how he did to assist Hülkenberg, solely to deem this bar to be set too excessive for his actions. Magnussen received the penalties the laws dictate; in the event that they’re not extreme sufficient, that’s on the foundations, not the motive force. The stewards did be aware the actual fact the foundations don’t deter the sort of method Magnussen drove, and that they’d “increase explicitly” the matter with the FIA and the stewarding staff.
Magnussen agreed the foundations may very well be improved. “For those who’re combating and also you do one thing that’s not allowed, it will be nice if the FIA had the ability to inform you to present it again and swap positions,” he stated. “That method, it’s going to have an impact instantly and cease any video games being performed.”
Magnussen’s questionable ways stored Hamilton from passing his teammate Hülkenberg within the Miami Dash race. (Jared C. Tilton – Formulation 1/Formulation 1 through Getty Photos)
McLaren boss Andrea Stella was very unimpressed by Magnussen’s actions within the dash, calling them “unacceptable” and saying that penalties needs to be “exponential,” not cumulative. “5 plus 5 plus 5 ought to equal… possibly you should spend a weekend at house with your loved ones, replicate in your sportsmanship after which come again,” Stella stated.
It is going to require an in depth look from the FIA, whether or not this can be a loophole it wants to shut to enhance driving requirements, or just a part of the sport. For now, it firmly stays the latter, and it’s one which Magnussen performed to perfection in Miami.
That’s to not say there might not be a value to pay. The three penalty factors have been adopted by one other two on Sunday for his clumsy collision with Logan Sargeant, taking Magnussen as much as 10, two shy of a race ban.
It’s not the primary time a driver has reached this tally — Pierre Gasly spent a number of races on 10 factors in early 2023 — however it will likely be the primary time a driver has to spend nearly all of the season with the specter of a ban looming.
Penalty factors are usually restricted to on-track incidents (the three for the repeated breaches of observe limits was an exception), which means it’s prone to solely be a collision with one other driver that may tip Magnussen over the restrict to 12. Magnussen gained’t drop any of his factors till the beginning of subsequent season, which means he has one other 18 races to outlive with none extra incidents.
Have been Magnussen to be benched for a race, Oliver Bearman could be first in line to step in after his star flip for Ferrari in Jeddah. Bearman will participate in FP1 for Haas at Imola subsequent weekend, his first of six scheduled apply appearances with the staff over the course of the season.
Asking a driver to alter their strategy or be extra aware when in battle is much simpler stated than finished. For Magnussen, as profitable as his ways have been to this point in serving to Haas this season, they now go away him vulnerable to spending a race on the sidelines barring a spotless the rest of the season.
(Lead picture of Kevin Magnussen: Track Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Photos)
