Magnussen Urges FIA to Revise Penalty Rules

Under FIA scrutiny, Kevin Magnussen defends his actions and proposes giving back positions instead of drive-through penalties to improve fairness in Formula 1.

Kevin Magnussen made headlines in Miami, both in the sprint and the race: the Haas F1 driver, while attempting to protect his teammate Nico Hülkenberg (despite Hülkenberg’s denial), obstructed several cars on track.

His behavior was deemed unsportsmanlike. In addition to the 10-second penalties, Kevin Magnussen now has 10 penalty points out of 12 on his license. He is thus very close to a race suspension, which would be the first since Romain Grosjean in 2012.

The Dane will need to be cautious on track at Imola this weekend and throughout the rest of the year.

“The next time, it will be a suspension, so I need to be careful,” confirmed the Haas F1 driver today, indicating he will indeed adjust his driving style.

However, Kevin Magnussen defends his actions, stating that he was merely playing the team game and fully stands by his decisions.

“I don’t know. These situations where I had to support my teammate have paid off. It has been very useful for us.”

As we reported, the FIA is considering changing its approach to penalties in light of Kevin Magnussen’s case. A drive-through penalty could be applied to a non-compliant driver, but not automatically and only in the case of repeat offenses (and even then, the stewards would have the discretion).

Would Kevin Magnussen also like the regulations to evolve in this direction?

“I don’t like the way the rules are enforced; I wish it wasn’t possible at all. But since the rules are as they are. I didn’t make the rules, I think there are things to consider in this.”

“The best thing would be for the FIA to tell us to give back positions, and for the consequences of not doing so to be severe, really severe, to ensure it is done correctly.”

“There should be some leeway before exceeding the limit, and potentially telling us to give back the position. Right now, if they judge it as an unfair advantage, they might impose a drive-through, which I think is not good. I raced in IndyCar, and I like the way they race there, the rules are very clear and simple.”

“Races should be excellent between the 20 best drivers in the world. I think this is part of why Formula 1 drivers are fast, but also very good at racing. This should be highlighted. It should be part of the competition.”

Adding gravel and grass to prevent any off-track overtakes could also be a solution.

“I like challenging tracks, I prefer them. Tracks with grass or gravel on the outside set a natural limit and it sorts itself out. I feel this is also a general problem in F1.”

Should the FIA increase the number of penalty points on the license?

Kevin Magnussen will be at risk for the rest of the year, as any penalty points on the license expire one year after being issued.

With an extended calendar (24 Grands Prix today), this makes a suspension more likely than with 20 races.

Kevin Magnussen is therefore calling on the FIA to consider this change.

“The fact that I risk a race suspension for driving outside a few white lines on a piece of asphalt… I don’t know if I find that fair.”

“But that’s how the rules are. I accept it. However, I think there is room for improvement, not just in terms of penalty points on the license.”

“There are more races today than there were when the system was introduced. I feel that one could end up with a race suspension for a very minor thing. That’s what I think.”