Jonathan FletcherAt the Jeddah GP, Haas F1’s tactics and Magnussen’s penalties ignited a major controversy, blending strategy and contention.
A significant controversy arose over Haas F1’s strategy of using Kevin Magnussen to slow down the field, aiding Nico Hülkenberg in securing the 10th place and the point that comes with it.
Despite criticisms from Red Bull F1 and Yuki Tsunoda, the Danish driver praised his team’s strategy, though he was keen on racing his own race.
He conceded that the penalties incurred during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix were justified but deemed them “too harsh.”
Magnussen faced two 10-second penalties, with the first imposed following a collision with Alex Albon at turn 4. Additionally, the stewards awarded Magnussen three penalty points on his Super Licence for the incident.
Shortly thereafter, Magnussen overtook Yuki Tsunoda by exceeding track limits to gain a position, which he maintained.
“Regarding the first incident, we made contact with Albon. It was unintentional, but a penalty was issued for it,” Magnussen stated. “That’s fairly reasonable.”
“For the second, I passed Tsunoda and went off-track. The rules are the rules; I’m not pleased about receiving these two penalties.”
Magnussen became the first driver this year to fall afoul of the stewards’ stricter penalties for track limit violations during overtakes, with the penalty for such infractions increased from 5 to 10 seconds.
“I tried to stay within the white lines and failed. Ultimately, that’s how it is. I need to do a better job and avoid these penalties,” he reflected.
“Normally, I don’t receive many penalties, but today I received two. It wasn’t a good day in that regard. Ten seconds is overly punitive.”
“Still, I managed to assist the team in creating a gap so Nico could pit and score a point.”
“Therefore, we demonstrated strong pace and teamwork, which are very positive takeaways.”
Haas F1 Jeddah Controversy 2024. Haas F1 Jeddah Controversy 2024
- Robson’s Verdict: Frustration and Valor at Saudi GP
- Following us on Facebook and Twitter.
