Kevin Magnussen is unhappy Formula 1’s penalty points system has put him at risk of an automatic ban if he commits another infringement.
The Haas driver picked up his 10th penalty point at the previous round in Miami. If he reaches 12 before the end of the season he will receive an automatic race ban.
Magnussen admitted he will have to alter his approach to driving to ensure he doesn’t collect further penalties. “The next time is a race ban so I think I’ll have to,” he said.
His 10 penalty points were issued for four separate incidents since the start of the season, three of which were collisions with other drivers. On the other occasion Magnussen went off the track several times in order to keep Lewis Hamiltonbehind him during the sprint race in Miami.
He referred to this incident as being an example of how he has played a support role for Haas by delaying rivals to help Nico Hulkenberg score points, as he also did during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
“I think these situations where I’ve had to play the support role for my team mate, they have been paying off, so it’s been kind of valuable to us.
“I don’t love the way the rules are, that it’s possible [to get a ban], I would love it to not be possible at all. But since the rules are as they are, and I didn’t make the rules, I think there’s stuff to be looked at there. For myself, I’m on 10 points so I have to be careful not to get a race ban.”
While the stewards have largely stopped issuing penalty points for track limits infringements, Magnussen received three for that reason in Miami for what they called “exceptional circumstances”.
“The fact that I’m at risk of a race ban for driving outside of some white lines on a piece of Tarmac, I don’t know if I feel that is right,” he said. “It is the way the rules are so I accept that, but I feel there’s room for improvement there.
“Not only in terms of the points, there are more races now than there was back when they were introduced and I feel you can end up getting a race ban effectively for a very minor thing. That’s what I feel.”
Magnussen’s penalty points
| Event | Session | Infringement | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabian Grand Prix | Race | Collided with Alexander Albon | 3 |
| Chinese Grand Prix | Race | Collided with Yuki Tsunoda | 2 |
| Miami Grand Prix | Sprint race | Leaving the track and gaining a lasting advantage | 3 |
| Miami Grand Prix | Race | Collided with Logan Sargeant | 2 |
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