Kevin Magnussen was left outraged after a penalty for a collision at the Italian Grand Prix means he will be banned from the next Formula One race.
However, his joy quickly turned to anger as during the race the Danish driver was penalised for colliding with Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.
While at fault, neither car was damaged and little harm was done, but the stewards saw things differently, slapping Magnussen with a 10-second time penalty.
More importantly, he was also given two penalty points on his superlicense, bringing his tally to 12 over the last 12 months – enough for a one-race ban.
It means he will miss the Azerbaijan Grand Prix on September 15, with British teenager Oliver Bearman, who will replace Magnussen full-time in 2025, likely to deputise.
No driver has ever been suspended since the penalty points were introduced, while the last driver to receive a race-ban for dangerous driving was Romain Grosjean for Lotus in 2012.
Magnussen was furious with the decision, saying post-race: ‘I don’t know what’s happening with these penalties. What’s the point?
‘We had a slight contact into turn four, no damage on either car, no consequence, nobody lost anything. We both missed the corner but we’re racing.
‘I just don’t get the point honestly. I saw Nico [Hulkenberg in the other Haas] at 300km an hour almost hit the barrier with the contact with [Daniel] Ricciardo and he got five seconds. I got 10 seconds for this.
‘At this point I don’t know what is going on. I have to [speak to the stewards]. It makes zero sense.’
The ban is yet to be official however, and Gasly himself said he would argue on Magnussen’s behalf for the penalty points to be rescinded.
‘I will see what I can do [to help]. That will feel very unfair for the incident that it was,’ the Frenchman said.
More to follow…
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