Kevin Magnussen is not going to be on the grid for the subsequent spherical of the world championship after choosing up 5 penalties within the house of 15 rounds.
He’s the primary Components 1 driver to be barred from a spherical of the championship beneath the penalty factors system which the FIA launched 10 years in the past.
Magnussen’s newest penalty, for a collision with Pierre Gasly, added two additional factors to the ten he carried for the reason that Miami Grand Prix in Could. That took him to the brink of 12 which leads to an automated ban.
Of Magnussen’s 4 earlier penalties, three had been additionally for collisions with different drivers. He obtained two factors for his contact with Yuki Tsunoda in China and Logan Sargeant in Miami. His different collision, when he squeezed Alexander Albon right into a barrier in Jeddah, was deemed severe sufficient to be price three penalty factors.
Magnussen additionally obtained three penalty factors for an uncommon collection of incidents within the dash race on the Miami Grand Prix. He was penalised 4 instances for leaving the observe and gaining a bonus as he tried to forestall Lewis Hamilton from overtaking him. Though the stewards have stopped giving penalty factors for many observe limits offences, they dominated Magnussen’s driving was “distinctive” on this event.
Had been Magnussen’s 5 incidents sufficient to warrant a one-race ban? Or has the primary software of the automated ban for 12 penalty factors confirmed the system is simply too harsh?
For
Of the 5 incidents Magnussen was penalised for, his Monza conflict with Gasly was the least consequential. Not like in China and Miami, he didn’t put his rival out of the race.
Nonetheless it was one other careless piece of driving which resulted involved. The penalty factors system exists to maintain a observe of drivers who persistently commit driving offences, which is strictly what it has performed in Magnussen’s case.
Importantly, the stewards are imagined to concern penalties based mostly on the incidents themselves, not on their penalties, which is why Magnussen didn’t obtain a harsher penalty for inflicting collisions which resulted in retirements.
In opposition to
Magnussen has dedicated some incidents price of great penalties this yr, however taken collectively they don’t seem to be severe sufficient to be price banning him from a race.
Particularly, his cornering-cutting antics in Miami could have been cynical however they weren’t harmful. At Monza, the stewards ought to have been ready to say ‘no hurt, no foul’ and never penalise him for his inconsequential collision with Gasly.
Magnussen’s ban highlights the stewards’ inconsistency in making use of penalty factors. None got to Gasly in Melbourne final yr for rejoining the observe unsafely and inflicting an avoidable collision, when doing so would doubtless have resulted in a ban for him.
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I say
Earlier than Magnussen collected his final two penalty factors I requested him whether or not he would modify his strategy to racing to keep away from triggering a ban. He stated he wouldn’t: “It’s higher to only go for it after which if I get a race ban, I get a race ban.”
So his current state of affairs feels each inevitable and avoidable. The penalty factors he was issued had been imagined to inspire him to keep away from related incidents in future, however he didn’t.
I might have been strongly against a driver being banned for amassing penalty factors had it occured when the stewards issued factors for incidents as trivial as exceeding observe limits. I felt this was unjust when it occurred to F2 drivers in earlier seasons.
It’s arduous to quibble over many of the factors given to Magnussen this season nonetheless, apart from the unusual incident within the Miami dash race for which no clear precedent exists.
That stated, there at the moment are 5 extra rounds on the calendar than when the penalty factors system was launched, plus an additional six dash races per yr. This has considerably elevated the chance for drivers to gather penalty factors, and the FIA ought to think about adjusting the system to take that into consideration.
You say
Does Magnussen need to be banned from the subsequent spherical given the incidents he’s been concerned in thus far this season? Solid your vote under and have your say within the feedback.
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