Haas Slapped With Fine After Kevin Magnussen Blunder In Italian GP FP1

Haas has been fined €7,500 due to Kevin Magnussen's mistake impeding Carlos Sainz in Italian GP FP1.

MoneyGram Haas driver Kevin Magnussen waves to the crowd as he leaves the stage during driver engagements in the Germania Insurance Amphitheater at Circuit of Americas on Saturday Oct. 21, 2023 ahead of the Formula 1 Lenovo United States Grand Prix on Sunday. / Aaron E. Martinez/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK

Haas F1 Team faces a financial penalty following a costly mistake by driver Kevin Magnussen during Free Practice 1 (FP1) at the Italian Grand Prix held in Monza.

The incident unfolded while Magnussen was navigating Turns 6 and 7, where he inadvertently impeded Carlos Sainz, forcing the Ferrari driver to abort his fast lap. The stewards determined Haas was responsible, leading to a fine of €7,500 imposed on the team.

The Spanish driver was approaching rapidly behind Magnussen, who was navigating a challenging section of the track. Telemetry and driver tracking data suggested that the American team had sufficient time to warn Magnussen about the fast-approaching Sainz.

However, the team failed to provide adequate notice, a key point in the stewards' findings after hearing from both drivers and team representatives. The stewards' report claimed that while the incident was not dangerous, it was nonetheless a clear violation due to the lack of communication from the Haas team.

Initially, a standard penalty in such cases would involve a formal warning. The mitigating factor in this instance was the recognition that Magnussen was significantly hindered by the absence of information from his pit wall, thereby reducing the severity of the penalty. As a result, the fine was halved, reflecting the non-dangerous nature of the impediment.

Magnussen holds 10 penalty points, inching dangerously close to the 12-point threshold that would automatically suspend him for one race. The earliest date for any reduction in his penalty points isn't until March 9, 2025, placing added pressure on both the driver and the team to avoid further infractions.

The official letter from the Stewards reads:

"Session: Practice 1

"Fact: Car 20 impeded Car 55 in turn 7.

"Infringement: Breach of Article 37.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.

"Decision: The competitor (MoneyGram Haas F1 Team) is fined €7,500.

"Reason: The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 20 (Kevin Magnussen), the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence.

"The team radio of Car 20 revealed that no warning of the approach of Car 55 was given until the very moment that Car 55 was immediately behind it. The driver of Car 20 explained that he checked his mirrors and because of the track layout at that point, Car 55 was not visible. Further, between Turns 6 and 7 there was one other car driving slowly between Cars 20 and 55, off the racing line.

"The driver of Car 55 stated in evidence that the situation was not dangerous.

"It was obvious from the GPS data, available to the Team, that Car 55 was rapidly approaching and overtaking cars behind Car 20 and therefore adequate prior warning should have been given to the driver of Car 20.

"Normally, in accordance with our Penalty Guidelines, a formal warning would be issued to the driver of Car 20 however in this case we consider that because the track layout at this point did not facilitate visibility of Car 55's approach, such a warning is undeserved.

"Impeding incidents in Free Practice are normally not investigated unless they are potentially dangerous or involve an error by the Team. In this case, although the Team made an error, the situation was not potentially dangerous and hence the penalty on the Team is reduced to half that of the previous two precedents this year."

New document: Doc 17 - Infringement - Car 20 - Impeding of Car 55 (Corrected)
Published on 30-08-2024 16:15 CEThttps://t.co/2C6fHzdstd#F1 #Formula1 #FIA #ItalianGP 🇮🇹 pic.twitter.com/ZA1jqTcL5U

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