F1 News: Kevin Magnussen Responds to Barrage of Penalties After Just 19 Laps

Alex Harrington | May 4, 2024

Jun 18, 2023; Montreal, Quebec, CAN; Haas F1 Team driver Kevin Magnussen (DEN) parades and salutes / David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Magnussen faced a tough Miami GP, accumulating multiple penalties in a brief 19-lap sprint. The Haas driver expressed dissatisfaction with the tactics he had to employ to secure a strategic position for his team which allowed teammate Nico Hulkenberg to finish in front of him in P7.

The Danish driver was as heated as the Florida weather. Known for his aggressive racing style, especially after this season's Saudi Arabian campaign, found himself embroiled in controversy and penalized heavily, receiving a total of 25 seconds’ worth of time penalties in a dramatically short 19-lap event. These penalties included two severe 10-second additions and one lighter 5-second penalty for various infractions such as leaving the track limits and executing maneuvers deemed dangerous against competitors, notably Lewis Hamilton.

Starting strong, Magnussen used the DRS advantage provided by teammate Nico Hülkenberg to stay ahead of the angered Lewis Hamilton. But by pushing the limits of the rules - and the track - he quickly started racking up the warnings which eventually turned into penalties.

"All the penalties were well deserved - no doubt about it," he said. "But I had to play the game again.

"I was in a very good position behind Nico [Hulkenberg] there. In the beginning of the race I gained a lot of positions and was up in P8.

"I was protecting well from Lewis because I had the DRS from Nico and I had good pace. 

"Then Nico cut the chicane and I lost the DRS. Nico could have given that back to give me the DRS to protect because then we would have easily been P7 and P8," he admitted.

His defensive strategy against Hamilton then took on a desperate edge. "Instead, I was really vulnerable to Lewis. Started fighting with him like crazy and I had to just create the gap like I did in Jeddah.

"I started using these stupid tactics which I don't like doing, but the end of the day I did my job as a team player and Nico scored his points because I got that gap for him so Lewis and Tsunoda couldn't catch him," Magnussen added, noting the sacrifices made for team strategy.

"Not the way I like to go racing at all but it was what I had to do today," concluded Magnussen, clearly conflicted about the day's events.

Hulkenberg takes home two points for the American Haas team.