"It kind of feels bad to take it off" - Kevin Magnussen expresses concern over removing wedding ring before racing
Kevin Magnussen is not entirely comfortable with the new directive, according to which drivers have to remove any jewelry that they may carry while driving the F1 car. The regulations have been met with huge opposition from the seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton. Kevin Magnussen, too, admits that parting ways with his wedding ring while driving is not something that he is entirely comfortable with.
"I understand what they are saying, but it is a wedding ring around your finger. I'll take a little bit of extra burn on my finger to race in my wedding ring. And if something was going to happen, something bad, I would want to wear my wedding ring. It kind of feels bad to take it off. With something like that, like your wedding ring. Let us take that responsibility. There must be some way to remove liability."
Lewis isn't backing down on the no jewelry ruling ⌚️ https://t.co/kF6zdaeBwE
There are suggestions that the FIA will apply an escalating fine system to those who are found in contravention of the provision, with repeat offenders risking a whopping $265,000 sanction!
Magnussen has revealed that he will comply with the rules, but he won't be doing that out of his own free will. "I don't want to pay the 250,000 Euro fine," Kevin Magnussen said when asked if he would comply with the directives.
Kevin Magnussen will start the Miami GP in 16th position
#HaasF1 @HaasF1Team
A broken radio unfortunately challenged my qualifying today. But the car feels strong and fast, and I'm optimistic about the race tomorrow 🙌 #HaasF1 @HaasF1Team https://t.co/kM8Xvv9Auu
Kevin Magnussen will start the Miami GP in 16th position. Amidst all the off-track news, Haas' sudden drop in pace has not caught the eye of the media and fans as much as it normally would have. The American team has had a far from ideal performance this weekend in their home race.
Mick Schumacher, the other Haas driver, will start the race in 15th position after, in his words, extracting the maximum out of it. After the qualifying session, Magnussen conceded he extract the best he could in the conditions, but remained optimistic about his prospects for the race.
"It's going to be a crazy race tomorrow and hopefully we can fight back. The car is good, but we had no radio so that meant we couldn't communicate between myself and the team - we only did one long run in Q1 instead of two short ones. Anyway, points are tomorrow, and we'll see what we can do with strategy, we've got good pace and I'm still optimistic."
It will be interesting to see what Haas can achieve at its home race on Sunday.