Kevin Magnussen put up a strong fight against Lewis Hamilton for many laps in yesterday’s sprint race.
However for much of the time he knew he was likely to finish last even if he kept his rivals behind. Not for the first time this year, he was doing so for the benefit of his team mate Nico Hulkenberg ahead, as Magnussen admitted afterwards.
That prompted the stewards to consider whether he had overstepped the mark and driven in an “unsportsmanlike” way. He collected a remarkable four time penalties, three of which for leaving the track and gaining an advantage as he repeatedly cut the course to keep Hamilton behind him.
Tellingly, while the stewards cleared Magnussen, they also told the FIA to give them greater powers to penalise drivers who commit similar acts in the future. We have seen more examples of teams using one car to delay the field and assist their other car in recent races, and it seems the stewards are wary some might push the rules too far.
Although Magnussen freely admitted afterwards he had been driving to help Hulkenberg, the radio exchanges between him and his race engineer Mark Slade reveal surprisingly few messages about this. Clearly as Magnussen ran behind Hulkenberg he understood the importance of keeping Hamilton behind not just for his own benefit but also his team mate’s, without needing to be told.
When the race restarted after the Safety Car period, Magnussen held the final points-paying position behind his team mate. Haas suspected Hamilton behind had damage from his first-lap contact with Fernando Alonso:
| Slade | During the Safety Car period We’ve heard that Hamilton may be struggling with some damage to his car so his pace may not be as good as we might expect. Not sure that really helps that much but just be aware. |
| Magnussen | Copy. |
| Slade | Before the restart So I’ve got no information I can give you, unfortunately, from the GPS. |
| Magnussen | Just watch the television and tell me when they’re going. |
| Slade | The trouble is Kev it’s on a lag so it may not be very accurate, that’s all. Radio is on. |
Magnussen’s chances of keeping Hamilton behind him took a hit when Hulkenberg ahead cut the chicane at turn 14 and 15. That allowed him to reach the next DRS detection line over a second before Magnussen, meaning the chasing Haas was no longer able to open its rear wing, leaving him more vulnerable to Hamilton.
Soon afterwards Magnussen asked Haas to tell Hulkenberg to back…
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