F1 Insider Is Next To Criticize The FIA For 'Harsh' Race Ban On Kevin Magnussen

Saajan Jogia | Sep 4, 2024

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Hass drive Kevin Magnussen (20) during the F1 Sprint Race at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-Imagn Images / Peter Casey-Imagn Images

Former driver and Sky Sports F1 presenter Martin Brundle has called out the FIA for levying a "harsh" penalty on Haas driver Kevin Magnussen after he made contact with Pierre Gasly's A524 F1 car during the Italian Grand Prix. Brundle is the third F1 insider after Gasly and Fernando Alonso to criticize the governing body's decision to add two points to Magnussen's super license tally, leading to this race ban at Baku.

Magnussen accrued two additional penalty points on his super license in addition to a 10-second time penalty for his collision with the Alpine driver at Turn 4. This brings his total to 12 super license points over the past year, triggering an automatic race ban for the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix in Baku, scheduled for mid-September.

This is the first time since the introduction of penalty points in 2014, that a driver has received a one-race suspension. Despite the collision not being severe enough to force either car out of the race, the race stewards ruled the Dane's move unsafe and uncontrolled. Consequently, he was cited for violating Article 2(d) of Chapter IV, Appendix L, of the FIA International Sporting Code.

Commenting on Magnussen's penalty, Brundle wrote on his Italian GP verdict on Sky Sports F1:

“This seems harsh.

“Points should only be applied to very serious driving misdemeanours, and otherwise the time penalty itself should suffice.”

Gasly, who was involved in the incident with Magnussen, told the media after the race at Monza that the punishment was "unfair." He said:

“I'm a bit surprised for that because he tried, but it was a bit of wheel to wheel and in the end I really didn't lose any time.

“I'm a bit surprised.

“I hope somehow they can revert on that because that will would be definitely unfair.

“I'll see what I can do. That will feel very unfair for the incident that it was.”

Siding with Brundle, Alonso revealed that the FIA's punishment was severe and that the penalty points on the super license must be considered for "something that is a danger to the sport." He added:

“Penalty points, as we’ve discussed many times, should be for dangerous driving, something that is a danger for the sport and for the others.

“A couple of those points that he accumulated, I’m not sure…

“I don’t have the list here. But sometimes it’s just pit lane, white line, unsafe releases, all these kind of things.

“I mean, this is part of racing."

Describing the nature of the incident involving Magnussen and Gasly, he added:

“This is a drive-through. This is a five-second penalty. I understand the racing penalties, but the safety penalties are a little bit harder to understand.”