Andrea Stella criticizes Magnussen’s tactics, suggesting a weekend reflection for his recent conduct.
Andrea Stella was displeased by the poor display from Kevin Magnussen during the Miami Sprint. The McLaren F1 director criticized the Haas driver, who admitted to pushing beyond the limits to defend his teammate Nico Hülkenberg.
This isn’t the first time such tactics have been employed by Haas this season, with Magnussen previously crossing the bounds of acceptability in Jeddah by overtaking off-track to block the field, a move Stella cannot condone.
“We have a case of intentional behavior to harm another competitor,” Stella expressed, referencing Jeddah. “This behavior is perpetrated within the same race, and repeated throughout the season.”
“How can penalties be cumulative? They should be exponential. It’s not 5+5+5=15. 5+5+5: maybe you need to spend a weekend at home with your family, reflecting on your fair play, then come back.”
The Italian would favor probation when a driver crosses the line and faces suspension: “And if we see you becoming loyal, fair, and respectful of your rivals, then you can stay in this sport. It’s totally unacceptable.”
Stella further critiqued the F1 penalty system, which includes points on licenses, and hinted that it might be time for the FIA to review its process. The stewards themselves acknowledged this in their decision released overnight (read here).
“Penalty points are still in place. It’s set up so I’m not exactly aware of the situation of some drivers. I must admit. But who has really faced the consequences in F1? No one. This can certainly mean that the parameters may need to be adjusted.”
“Intentionally damaging the race for competitors just makes no sense from a sporting spirit perspective and needs to be addressed immediately because if you’re out of the points and you get a 20-second penalty or whatever at the end of your race, it’s not going to make a difference.
“But for the competitors you’ve hindered, you’ve taken them out of the race. Again, deliberately, perpetuated, and repeated. It’s totally unacceptable.”
Stella continued, stating that the FIA might have been surprised that the same driver and team engaged in the same tactics over just a quarter of the season and believes this is an issue the governing body will look into.
“I want to reiterate these values of fairness; it’s a sport, it’s a competition, and we need to give everyone a fair chance to compete.”
“These values must be considered when creating an appropriate set of regulations.”
“But I am confident that the FIA will look into this and will propose a sensible suggestion that the Sporting Advisory Committee can assess, and I hope it will soon become rules or guidelines that the stewards can enforce.”
Alongside his boss, McLaren driver Oscar Piastri added that Kevin Magnussen’s comments after the Sprint set a “very risky precedent,” given the implications of drivers publicly accepting penalties to benefit their teams—Nico Hulkenberg being the beneficiary of his teammate’s maneuvers in Miami.
“Actually, I saw his comments after the race, saying he deserved all the penalties he received. I think the fact that the driver who receives the penalties says he deserves all of them, it’s the kind of path they’ve chosen to follow… it does not create a very good precedent for everyone.”
“This creates a very risky precedent that, in my opinion, should probably be monitored a bit more stringently.”
The culprit, Kevin Magnussen, agrees with his opponents and stated he would appreciate more clarity on what is and is not allowed in such circumstances.
“It must be clear that you need to change your way of driving, whether you have one penalty, two penalties, or three penalties. I agree there could be an improvement in the rules if you’re fighting and do something that’s not allowed.
“It would be great if the FIA had the power to tell you to give back or swap positions. This way, it would have an immediate effect and stop any kind of gamesmanship. But for now, I don’t know why, they refuse to apply this.”
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Stella Urges Home Reflection for Magnussen. Stella Urges Home Reflection for Magnussen
