Kevin Magnussen has been moved down to 12th in the final classification for the Belgian Grand Prix after being given a 20-second time penalty.
The McLaren driver had the time added to his finishing position after the stewards ruled he “forced car 14 [Fernando Alonso] off the track between turns four [Raidillon] and five [Les Combes].”
“The driver of car 20 [Magnussen] was defending his position on the straight between turns four and five,” the stewards noted. “A significant portion of car 14 was alongside car 20.”
“The driver of car 20 did not leave enough space for car 14 and forced the car off the track.”
Magnussen was also awarded two penalty points on his licence, giving him a total of four, which is the most any driver has at the moment. Pastor Maldonado and Jules Bianchi are also on four penalty points.
The change to the finishing order means Jenson Button moves up to sixth place ahead of Alonso, Sergio Perez, Daniil Kvyat and Nico Hulkenberg – the latter promoted to the final points-paying position.
Magnussen is classified 12th behind Jean-Eric Vergne.
See the updated finishing positions and points standings after Magnussen’s penalty
2014 Belgian Grand Prix
- Rosberg says he chose to apologise for Spa crash
- Third win, second Driver of the Weekend for Ricciardo
- Spa serves up another race to remember
- 2014 Belgian Grand Prix team radio transcript
- Hamilton: “We both made mistakes”
Image © McLaren/LAT
Mashiat (@mashiat)
24th August 2014, 16:35
Completely deserved.
Loko
24th August 2014, 17:16
Main broadcast had stupid copper cam at that point and I didnt see any replays either.
So, have you actually seen if Alonso was alongside (front wing on level or rear tires) before gap disappeared? Because Magnussen didnt have to give room, if Alonso put tire off before he got alongside. And that video, which I saw, dont really tell which order things happened.
And I dont trust F1 stewards, I want to see it myself :-S
Arthur (@eriko)
24th August 2014, 17:35
Here’s a video of the action. Alonso is “pushed” off at about thirty seconds.
Alonso appears to be half way alongside Magnussen.
Liam McShane (@)
24th August 2014, 18:03
Wrong incident. That manouver was fine and perfectly legal. The one they are on about is before turn 5.
CommonSense
25th August 2014, 1:22
Wrong incident but still it was the same corner Magnussen had pulled across dangerously earlier onto Fernando. F1 drivers can’t do that, unless you’re Schumacher, Vettel or Perez…
In 2014 that kind of disrespectful driver is unacceptable, ok the first was from another era with too slack stewards, the second was the hero poster boy but Perez got dumped for being an insane driver.
If Magnusson wants to progress in F1 he needs to defend by not chopping the path of another driver…that era is long gone! Thankfully.
Loko
25th August 2014, 13:10
@CommonSense: How you can say its right corner when penalty had nothing to do with any corner? And it didnt even happen anywhere nearby rivage. lol
Magnussen got punished because of what happened on Kemmel straight and so far I havent seen any reasonable footage about it. I dont trust F1 stewards nor any retard comment automate, I would like to see it myself :-S
CommonSense
26th August 2014, 1:21
I said same corner had done a similar/worse move lap(s) before when Fernando was level with rear wheel…lucky to get off these but thankfully pinged for idiotic move here – correct place he was given penalty;
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-FQ_uLqfGw
If “people” don’t understand from this then they have never raced and know nothing about the rules.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
24th August 2014, 18:12
wrong incident. This was Magnussen defending strongly and fairly. The incident he was penalized for was later in a run up to Les Combes where he ran Alonso wide at terrific speed. One step over the line that he had been balancing on for a long time. Magnusson has a lot to learn, but he is still the best rookie since Bottas.
BasCB (@bascb)
25th August 2014, 7:24
I agree on the camera work there, yeah.
Alonso certainly was next to Magnussen in the incident he (MAG) was penalized for, a different one than what is shown on the video posted by @eriko – the rule about leaving space is for the straights, not for corners.
Euro Brun (@eurobrun)
24th August 2014, 17:33
Does that put Foce India back ahead of McLaren?
activewings (@activewings)
24th August 2014, 20:58
No
Roland
24th August 2014, 17:34
No way. At the very least Alonso ran wide and thus got a better run out of the previous corner which is absolutley an unfair advantage.
Mashiat (@mashiat)
25th August 2014, 14:26
@roland You’re thinking of the wrong incident. Magnussen was penalized for pushing Alonso to the grass towards the end of the Kemmel Straight. Could’ve been dangerous at 340 kph. Just ask Kimi…
Strontium (@strontium)
24th August 2014, 18:15
+1. Thoroughly deserved. His driving, not just with Alosno, but with all 3 of them on those closing laps was far too aggressive.
bananarama (@bananarama)
24th August 2014, 20:00
Not just with those three. Beforehand there was a situation where he was “waiting” on the straight to see if the car behind (Perez?) would try the inside or outside line and only after the driver behind made his move Magnussen decided to make the exact same move. The camera angle I saw of the Alonso incident on Kemmel wasn’t really clear but I can easily imagine him doing the same with Alonso but the spaniard was having none of that. Similarly I think it is all fair to use the whole width of a corner to claim it, but it is a different thing when you know there is no place for the other guy to go because he is too far alongside you to just brake and get behind you again so he has to go wide and leave the track, which is what he did to Button.
It is a bit disappointing because without all this Alonso might have been able to pass earlier and get himself ahead of the fight for position and got himself a fifth place, but mistakes are made and it is too late to reverse them. Now a rookie got himself a penalty and will do it differently in the future. Life goes on (at Merc it will go on too).
Mashiat (@mashiat)
24th August 2014, 16:36
I think it would have been unfair not to penalize him and the person in his very seat last year got a penalty for a similar incident.
Oli (@dh1996)
24th August 2014, 16:36
Correct decision
Toysoldier
24th August 2014, 16:50
By this decision the FIA is telling drivers to simply step aside when someone tries to pass. Thus discouraging racing. A 20 sec penalty is way to harsh. Had Magnussen let Alonso pass he would not have lost 20 seconds.
Why wasn’t Alonso punished for “causing a collision” when he crashed into Vettel in the last lap ?
Personally, I think Magnussen did a great job defending his position and Alonso was crying like a baby, like he did on Silverstone when he was racing Vettel.
Patrick (@paeschli)
24th August 2014, 19:05
Funny thing is, if Vettel had suffered from a puncture, they might have investigated the last lap crash between him and Alonso … double standards …
Jakob Paulsen (@venturadk)
24th August 2014, 20:24
Well to be fair to Alonso – he didnt whine when interviewed about this after the race. To me, his comments were full of class. He obviously didn’t care about the position but about having (safe) fun while racing:
Alonso was relatively unflustered by the late-race incident, saying: “When you are fighting for lower positions, sixth or seventh or whatever, it’s a little bit less important.
“You just try to have fun, with safety as well, but it was not a big deal.” :)
http://www.autosport.com/news/report.php/id/115549
Oli (@dh1996)
24th August 2014, 21:10
Always apply the “if there was a wall”-rule.
JCost (@jcost)
24th August 2014, 17:55
His move was dangerous. Alonso could have lost control of that Ferrari.
Michael (@mhonners)
24th August 2014, 16:38
That’s a rather harsh penalty, no? If this deserves 20 seconds and penalty points surely rosberg on Hamilton could have had a 5 sec stop/go?
Keith Collantine (@keithcollantine)
24th August 2014, 16:47
@mhonners It’s a time penalty in lieu of a drive-through which there wasn’t sufficient time to impose. It was a clear transgression so no complaint from me. It’s a shame because apart from that his defensive moves were really spot-on, firm but fair – he held his own against a trio of world champions.
Slowhands (@slowhands)
24th August 2014, 16:53
agree completely
Michael (@mhonners)
24th August 2014, 18:08
Thanks Keith, makes more sense now.
Jakob Paulsen (@venturadk)
24th August 2014, 20:09
Finally! My one complaint about Magnussen has been that he seemed a bit too much in awe – if you want to succeed in Formula One, you need to get the respect of your peers. If they don’t respect you, they will expect you to be a pushover next time, they come across your car. Now he has finally shown that he has more than air between his legs and that will surely benefit him next time a (former) world champion tries to overtake him. By the way – how come Vettel didn’t get a warning for the way he squeezed Magnussen several times when he overtook him? There was plenty of space to Vettel’s left.
JCost (@jcost)
24th August 2014, 21:17
Couldn’t agree more.
Osvaldas31 (@osvaldas31)
24th August 2014, 16:49
Fully agree. Again, no consistency providing penalties.
Michael Christensen (@mian)
24th August 2014, 17:54
Agree completely,
Michael (@mhonners)
24th August 2014, 18:09
You could bet the other way round though that Hamilton would have done
Michael (@mhonners)
24th August 2014, 18:16
Also how is this a bigger offense than Alonso pit crew being on the grid at the start of formation lap?
N
24th August 2014, 16:38
Rosberg took the race leader and championship contender out of the race, nothing happens.
Magnussen squeezes a car wide and gets 20 sec penalty, hilarious.
kpcart
24th August 2014, 18:17
it is not hilarious. Rosbergs move was unintentional, while Magnussens was.
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
24th August 2014, 18:21
kpcart, you just beat me by two seconds :)
Bforth (@bforth)
24th August 2014, 21:30
If I may play devil’s advocate: Magnussen was penalised early on in the season for giving Kimi a puncture. The reason cited was “causing a collision”.
Rosberg’s move was extremely similar to what Magnussen did to Raikkonen in Malaysia, and Magnussen was issued a penalty for it. On those grounds, N has a case for questioning the fairness of penalty applications.
Of course, the marshals are about as consistent as month-old rice pudding when it comes to issuing penalties, so there’s also precedent for them to not penalise Rosberg. Given that the stewards reportedly rely on complaints to issue penalties, it could also be that Mercedes opted not to make an issue of Rosberg hitting Hamilton. No point ruining the races of both of their drivers, is there?
ferrox glideh (@ferrox-glideh)
24th August 2014, 18:19
Penalties are (or at least should be) given with no thought to championship standings. Nico’s move was not great, and was aggressive, but it was a matter of tenths of a second decision making, not reactive like Magnussons move on Alonso. Racing incident, straight up. Watch the replays and ask yourself what you would have done in their place.
Lars (@lars)
24th August 2014, 16:41
Too tough – had his last name been Alonso or Vettel he would not have been penalised for this defence
DaveF1 (@davef1)
24th August 2014, 16:43
But if his last name was Maldonado people would’ve made a much bigger deal of him almost forcing someone onto the grass on the Kemmel straight. Swings and roundabouts I guess.
Lars (@lars)
24th August 2014, 16:47
There must be room for battle or F1 get lost in judicial procedures. Look at The penalty after The Perez and Massa in Canada and compare to this – out of proportion.
DaveF1 (@davef1)
24th August 2014, 16:55
Sure there has to be room for battle so long as the battle takes place on the track and not with one driver having 2 wheels on the grass on a very high speed straight. Alonso doesn’t have to spin and crash for the defense to be deemed too aggressive.
However I will agree that the penalty is too harsh but letting him get away with it was hardly an option.
Michael Christensen (@mian)
24th August 2014, 16:47
Ridiculus, but the newbies just told, dont race a former WC..
caci99
24th August 2014, 17:53
A guy named Alonso got a 5 second stop and go today. Just saying.
Solo (@solo)
30th November 2014, 19:52
Well a 5 second stop for something that is atrocious as it can be and could be penalized as much as a lose tyre after pits. He got off lightly.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
24th August 2014, 16:46
Too harsh for me. Had Alonso hit the wall and lost a handful of points then fair play but since there was no real loser here I think a reprimand, a stern talking to and a five second add on would have sufficed.
Slowhands (@slowhands)
24th August 2014, 16:52
safety rules have to be proactive. it is too late to enforce a rule if Alonso is in the hospital severely injured. this is a good rule and should be enforced no matter who the drivers involved are.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
24th August 2014, 17:33
I don’t really understand your comment @slowhands. The decision was always going to be taken after the race. I think a 20 second penalty should be reserved for when the defending driver significantly changes the attacking drivers race. Through loss of front wing or puncture etc. Magnusson did not excessively weave and had countless attacks on him all afternoon and defended perfectly but for this incident. In this case there was a backmarker (Ericsson) to his left and obviously saw Alonso very late and made a small error. Since there was no real time loss for either I don’t see where 20 seconds can come from: it was not a malicious move and Magnusson did not excessively weave. A talking to would have at least allowed him to keep points he undoubtably deserved for his drive today.
Slowhands (@slowhands)
24th August 2014, 18:37
Yes, sorry, confusing to me as well re-reading. What I meant to say was with safety, in order for a rule to be in the front of a driver’s mind, ie affect behavior proactively when consequences can vary but can include serious injury or death, the penalty must be invariant upon the consequences, ie based on violating the rule rather than waiting to see what the result is. That has a better chance of controlling driver behavior than one where the offender might gamble on the worst not happening and getting away with a light penalty. I believe he did change Alonso’s race, because Alonso had the inside and was in good position to take the corner. Alonso was a bit faster at that point and could have finished several positions up had he gotten by as I don’t think Button would have had anything for him.
Tifoso1989 (@tifoso1989)
24th August 2014, 18:11
@rbalonso
This is the same reason why drivers like Gilles Villeneuve and Ayrton Senna lost their lives on track, the FIA actually implemented severe safety procedures just after their deaths. Magnussen drive was agressive and very dangerous, throwing a driver off the track at 320 Kph in a place where run off area are minimized is very dangerous. I’m pretty confident that if it was another driver apart from Alonso it would have been a very serious accident.
What i hope is that KMag will learn from this penalty and improve his racing because the guy in my opinion have talent but he need to cool down a little bit.
RBAlonso (@rbalonso)
24th August 2014, 22:40
@slowhands & @tifoso1989. I understand and completely agree with where you’re coming from re safety. I just think that the sport loses a great deal of respect by not applying consistent penalties. For me that would never have warranted a drive through during the race if it occurred on lap 20. Also if we look back to Alonso and Rosberg in Bahrain 2012 (albeit on tarmac) there was no punishment whatsoever. I also think if it had been Hamilton and Vettel in the last laps there would not be a retrospective punishment. While these are hypotheticals, I don’t think we should overly punish Mag for being a rookie. Penalty points, a stewards meeting complete with the world champions’ opinion and a five/ten second penalty would more than learn a lesson here. Thinking of other scenarios that have lead to 20 second penalties, they are normally the result of ruining a race. I simply feel Mag did a great job defending from Alonso all day and deserved points for it given 8 points is crucial in their battle with Force India. If Ericsson wasn’t there and he weaved across from far left to the position of the move what penalty would be applied? Imo it would be the one given out so that is why I don’t think it’s justified.
Atticus (@atticus-2)
24th August 2014, 16:48
A tad too harsh – even as an Alonso fan – something which dropped him just behind Alonso would’ve been enough, I think (as it was he against who he committed the violation).
Rigi (@rigi)
24th August 2014, 16:48
this is ridiculous. didn’t the FIA say they would stop giving out penalty for minor incidents such as this? what a joke!
StefMeister (@stefmeister)
24th August 2014, 17:44
Forcing another driver onto WET grass at 200mph down a straght is not what I would consider a ‘minor incident’.
There was plenty of other bits of good racing today (Including my Magnussen) without the defending driver resorting to forcing the other car off track down the straght.
If the FIA were to take no action then it would imply that this sort of driving is acceptable which it just isn’t. I’ve seen that sort of driving cause some monumental accidents over the years & its about time that a clear message was sent about it been unacceptable.
Rigi (@rigi)
24th August 2014, 19:12
they were hardly going 200 mph there, and the grass wasn’t wet. amgnussen only got a penalty because ferrari were pushing it.
Dave (@dworsley)
24th August 2014, 20:44
Yes they were going 200 mph. What speed did you think they were going along the straight to Les Combes? Some were doing 210 mph with slipstream.
Craig Woollard (@craig-o)
24th August 2014, 16:49
I was hugely impressed by Magnussen this weekend but that move on Alonso was just a bit too much at those speeds. That cost him a DOTW vote, which is clearly more important than a sixth place ;)
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
24th August 2014, 16:49
Stupid decision. His defending was perfectly legal and just because he was defending against Alonso who is popular, he gets a penalty.
George (@george)
24th August 2014, 16:52
@ultimateuzair
Forcing someone off-track on a straight is not ‘perfectly legal’
Slowhands (@slowhands)
24th August 2014, 16:52
+1
Uzair Syed (@ultimateuzair)
24th August 2014, 16:57
I guarantee if that driver Magnussen was defending was Maldonado, there would be no penalty and I think the penalty was too harsh. Maybe a 10 second penalty at best but nothing more.
David Not Coulthard (@davidnotcoulthard)
24th August 2014, 17:50