In Miami last weekend, Magnussen had some tough times during both the sprint and the grand prix races. He got into trouble when he collided with Logan Sargeant during the race. Because of this, he got two penalty points on his racing license. Now, he has a total of 10 points, and if he gets two more, he could be banned from racing.
This is the first time a driver could face a ban because of these penalty points. At the start of the 2024 season, Magnussen had no points on his license. But things changed after the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, where he collided with Alex Albon.
These penalty points stick around for a year. So, Magnussen’s first set of points won’t disappear until March 9, 2025, just before next year’s season starts.
Here are the incidents that got Magnussen his penalty points this year:
– At the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, he got 3 points for colliding with Alex Albon.
– At the Chinese Grand Prix, he got 2 points for crashing with Yuki Tsunoda.
– During the Miami Grand Prix sprint, he got 3 points for going off the track to gain an advantage against Lewis Hamilton.
– In the Miami Grand Prix, he got 2 points for colliding with Logan Sargeant.
Magnussen’s driving has also been in the spotlight because of his aggressive defending against other drivers, especially when protecting his teammate Nico Hulkenberg.
In Miami, he faced accusations of unsportsmanlike behavior, but the stewards decided not to give him a separate punishment.
However, McLaren’s team principal, Andrea Stella, thinks repeat offenders like Magnussen should face tougher penalties. She believes penalties should get more serious with each offense.
Being so close to a ban might make Magnussen think twice before doing anything risky on the track. This could explain why he seemed quiet and didn’t want to talk much after learning about his penalty in Miami.
