Kevin Magnussen admits he will be more ‘conservative’ given his F1 penalty situation

Speaking Thursday at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen discussed being on the verge of a one-race ban

At various points this season Kevin Magnussen has been willing to play the team game, helping defend teammate Nico Hülkenberg from the chasing pack to ensure that his teammate, and Haas, come away with something to show for his efforts.

But Magnussen’s willingness to play the team game has come at a price, and has the Haas driver on the verge of a one-race ban.

Magnussen was hit with three separate penalties during the F1 Sprint Race at the Miami Grand Prix, as he fended off a chasing Lewis Hamilton in the closing stages of that race. While the strategy worked — Hülkenberg held on to finish seventh, bringing home a pair of points for the team — Magnussen was hit with three different ten-second penalties for leaving the track to gain an advantage, and following the race three penalty points were applied to his Super License.

Speaking with the media, including SB Nation, in Miami Magnussen addressed his approach to the F1 Sprint Race with Hamilton. “Just going slow and creating a gap,” said Magnussen. “But I’m not aware that that’s not allowed.”

Then Magnussen was sited for causing a collision with Logan Sargeant in the Miami Grand Prix, and another two points were added to his Super License.

Now Magnussen heads to Imola with ten points on his Super License, two points shy of a one-race ban. Adding to the situation is word that the FIA and F1 might be looking at altering how penalties are applied, given Magnussen’s actions this season.

The Haas driver was asked in the FIA Press Conference ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix on Thursday about the penalty situation, and whether he would change his driving style as he faces a potential ban. Magnussen admitted that he might need to be more “conservative” as a result.

“I think the next time it’s a race ban, so I think I’ll have to [be more conservative], but I don’t know. I think these situations where I’ve had to play the support role for my teammate, 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. I would love it to not be possible at all,” said Magnussen. “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 ten points, so I have to be careful not to get a race ban.”

Magnussen was later asked if the rules should be changed. In his response he noted that with more races on the calendar, there are more chances for penalties, and a potential ban.

“Well, I think 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 that is right, but it is the way the rules are, so I accept that,” added the Haas driver. “I feel there’s room for improvement there, not only in terms of the points. There are more races now than there were back when they were introduced, and I feel you can end up getting a race ban effectively for a very minor thing. So that’s what I feel.”

Later in the session Magnussen was asked if he had any ideas for how the penalties could be handled going forward, and he leaned into the idea of drivers giving a position back in the future.

“I think the best thing would be for the FIA to tell us to give back positions and then the consequence for not doing that being harsh, like really harsh, so you make sure that that’s being done. Because, you know, I think it gets too, firstly, complicated and also too big a consequence,” said Magnussen. “You have to be able to leave a little bit of room to go over the limit and then come back from that.”

Until the rules are changed, however, Magnussen will remain on the brink of a potential one race ban. Will that lead to the driver perhaps being more conservative on the track, and avoiding playing the team game in a similar situation this weekend and beyond?

Time will tell.