Kevin Magnussen faces one race ban as he becomes the first driver to reach 12 F1 penalty points
Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen is set to face a one-race ban after accumulating 12 penalty points within the last 12 months. Magnussen earned two points during the Italian GP, bringing him to the maximum limit. He is now expected to miss the Azerbaijan GP, scheduled for September 13-15.
The Dane had already racked up 10 penalty points heading into the Italian GP. On Sunday, he added two more after an incident with Pierre Gasly. The stewards deemed Magnussen wholly responsible for the collision, resulting in a 10-second penalty and two penalty points, leading to his one-race ban.
Kevin Magnussen became the first F1 driver to accumulate 12 penalty points within 12 months, automatically triggering a race ban for the Azerbaijan GP. Previously, former Haas driver Romain Grosjean was banned in 2012, before the current penalty points system was introduced.
Kevin Magnussen was on the verge of receiving a race ban earlier this season but managed to avoid further penalty points until the recent Italian GP. Over the season, he has accumulated three points at the Saudi Arabian GP, two points at the Chinese GP, and five points during the Miami GP weekend, which included a sprint race, totaling 10 points.
Having now breached the maximum penalty points in the Italian GP, Magnussen will be barred from the Azerbaijan GP. While it has not been confirmed yet, he will most likely be replaced by Ferrari junior driver Oliver Bearman, who is set to join the team next season.
Kevin Magnussen was classified 10th after the 53-lap Italian GP, five places ahead of Pierre Gasly in 15th, scoring a crucial point for Haas.
Kevin Magnussen baffled by stewards' decision regarding contact with Gasly
The Haas driver Kevin Magnussen expressed his frustrations with the stewards' ruling, suggesting that his contact with Pierre Gasly was minor and had no significant impact on the outcome of the race for either driver.
The 31-year-old referenced his teammate Nico Hulkenberg's earlier contact with Daniel Ricciardo, claiming that Ricciardo walked away with a minor 5-second penalty and one penalty point. He couldn't comprehend the logic behind the two verdicts.
"I don't understand it at all. You know, flat out, just completely confused. Me and Gasly raced hard into Turn 4. Before, we had slight contact, we both missed the corner, came back on track again, no damage to either car, no consequence to the race of either of us, and I get a 10-second penalty," Magnussen was quoted by motorsport.com.
"But lap 1, Ricciardo put Nico in the grass at 300km/h, completely destroyed Nico's race, massive consequence and damage to Nico's car, and he gets a five-second penalty. Where's the logic? I just don't get it."
Haas has the right to appeal the decision made by the stewards within an applicable time limit. However, it remains unknown if the team will appeal in hopes of overturning the penalty.