Kevin Magnussen didn’t hold back his frustration after the FIA Race Stewards handed him a 10-second time penalty and two penalty points during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The penalty, which resulted from a wheel-to-wheel incident with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly, has now pushed Magnussen to the brink of a race ban, leaving the Haas driver furious and confused.
The incident in question occurred at Turn 4, where Magnussen and Gasly made slight contact, forcing both cars to cut the Variante Della Roggia chicane. Despite neither car gaining or losing an advantage and no damage being inflicted on either vehicle, the Stewards ruled that Magnussen was entirely to blame. The decision added 10 seconds to his race time and two penalty points to his super license, bringing his total to the maximum 12 points allowed. This means Magnussen will be forced to sit out the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan.
Post-race, a visibly irritated Magnussen expressed his disbelief at the Stewards’ ruling. “I don’t understand it at all,” he vented. “We raced hard into Turn 4, had slight contact, both missed the corner, but there was no damage, no consequence to either of our races, and I still get a 10-second penalty.”
Even Pierre Gasly, who was involved in the incident, was surprised by the penalty. “Someone told me he got a 10-second penalty. I’m a bit surprised by that. It was just a bit of wheel-to-wheel racing, and in the end, I didn’t lose any time,” Gasly said.
Magnussen also pointed out the inconsistency in the Stewards’ decisions by referencing an earlier incident in the race between Daniel Ricciardo and his Haas teammate Nico Hulkenberg. Ricciardo squeezed Hulkenberg onto the grass at 300 km/h on the approach to Ascari, severely damaging Hulkenberg’s car and ruining his race. Ricciardo received only a five-second penalty for the incident, a punishment Magnussen found to be wildly inconsistent compared to his own.
“Lap 1, Ricciardo puts Nico in the grass at 300 kilometers an hour, completely destroys Nico’s race, and he gets a five-second penalty. Where’s the logic? I just don’t get it,” Magnussen said, highlighting his frustration with the Stewards’ decisions.
With both Haas seats already confirmed for 2025 and Magnussen unlikely to secure a drive elsewhere, the Dane’s final seven races in F1 could be explosive. However, despite the looming race ban, Magnussen insists he won’t change his aggressive approach, even as he prepares to reset his penalty points after the Azerbaijan GP.
“I’m back in Singapore with zero points. I’ve said all along, I’m not going to hold back. It doesn’t make sense. And I scored a point today, so see you later,” Magnussen concluded defiantly.
