Source:REUTERS/Claudia Greco
[Saba Sports News] This season, Danish driver Kevin Magnussen has received penalty points in three Grand Prix races in Saudi Arabia, China, and Miami. Before the Italian Grand Prix, he had accumulated 10 points on his super license. Over the past four months and more than ten Grand Prix races, Magnussen has been driving cautiously. However, he faltered at the Italian Grand Prix. In the 26th lap of the race, Magnussen was penalized with a 10-second time penalty and 2 points for an unnecessary collision with Pierre Gasly. As a result, Magnussen’s total penalty points reached 12, leading to a one-race ban under Article 4.2 of the F1 Sporting Code regarding super licenses. Magnussen thus became the first driver to be banned since the introduction of penalty points for super licenses in 2014. Gasly believes this punishment is unfair and has expressed his willingness to help explain the situation to the stewards. In Gasly’s view, it was merely a minor collision and not a crash incident at all. Spanish driver Fernando Alonso also deemed the penalty unreasonable and expressed full sympathy for Magnussen’s situation.