Kevin Magnussen is now just two points away from facing a potential ban from participating in a Formula 1 race following yet another eventful race in Miami. Prior to Sunday’s race, Magnussen had already accumulated eight penalty points, three of which were for repeatedly going off the track without a valid reason while battling against Lewis Hamilton. However, things took a turn for the worse during the grand prix when Magnussen collided with Logan Sargeant, causing the Williams car to spin. As a result, Magnussen was given a 10-second time penalty and two additional penalty points. His troubles didn’t end there, as he was also penalized for not changing tires after entering the pits under the safety car due to his collision with Sargeant. Haas accepted responsibility for this mistake, and Magnussen was given a drive-through penalty, which was later converted into a 20-second post-race penalty. As a result, he dropped from 18th to 19th place in the final classification, finishing behind Albon.
Following the race, Magnussen expressed his disappointment in a post-race media session. When asked about his thoughts on the incident with Logan, he chose not to comment. It was clear that he was not happy with the outcome of the race, and when questioned about the penalty, he still refrained from commenting. He also avoided commenting on Stella’s remarks about him potentially deserving a ban. When asked about the racing rules and the lack of clarity surrounding them, Magnussen responded with a muffled acknowledgment of the need for clarity.
It is understandable that Magnussen is frustrated after yet another challenging race, but he must take responsibility for the incident with Sargeant. Considering that he was not in contention for points, taking unnecessary risks like attempting to overtake through a tight corner like Turn 3 was ill-advised, especially given Magnussen’s level of experience. While it may not be fair to impose a race ban solely based on this weekend’s events, when combined with two other major incidents earlier in the season, it wouldn’t be surprising if one more incident leads to a suspension. The next 10 months will undoubtedly be nerve-wracking for Magnussen until the first three of his 10 penalty points are removed.
Magnussen’s penalty points tally began with three points for causing a collision with Alex Albon in Jeddah, where he performed a controversial roadblock maneuver to assist his teammate Nico Hulkenberg. He received an additional two points for tipping Yuki Tsunoda into a spin in Shanghai, and the collision with Sargeant earned him five more penalty points. If a driver accumulates 12 penalty points, they will be banned from participating in the next Formula 1 race. Since the introduction of the current penalty point system, no driver has faced a ban. Magnussen has already accumulated 10 penalty points in just six races this season, with 18 more races to go.