Kevin Magnussen, Haas, Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, 2022

Magnussen says damage which triggered black-and-orange flag “was nothing”

RaceFans Round-up

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In the round-up: Kevin Magnussen believes there was no need for the race director to force him to pit for repairs to his car during the Canadian Grand Prix.

In brief

Being forced to pit for damage unnecessary, says Magnussen

Following minor contact with Lewis Hamilton in the opening laps of the Canadian Grand Prix, Magnussen was shown the black-and-orange flag, instructing him to pit to repair front wing damage. Having run in fifth place initially, he failed to return to the points-paying positions after the early pit stop.

“We were forced to pit with the damage we had but it was nothing,” Magnussen said after the race. “The car was perfect to drive, there was no effect on the car. This is normal, you’ve got to be able to finish the race with some scratches on your car.”

A Virtual Safety Car period soon after he pitted cemented his position at the back of the field. “We could’ve got back in, but we were forced to pit and then there was a Virtual Safety Car and then everyone else pitted,” he said.

“It’s frustrating – it’s now four races or something where we haven’t scored points, so we want to get into the points again.”

FREC driver escapes horror crash at Zandvoort

Pietro Delli Guanti escaped injury after a horrifying crash during the Formula Regional European Championship race at Zandvoort on Sunday, in which his car was launched over a barrier.

Delli Guanti tangled with Esteban Masson at Hugenholtzboch. His car cleared the tyre barrier at the inside of the corner and landed on the grass near a marshalling post. The race was swiftly red-flagged.

Following the crash Delli Guanti was able to walk to the medical centre, where he was found to be in good condition.

The stewards ruled the collision was a racing incident. “Car 55 [Delli Guanti] went wide at the exit of turn one and lost speed. Car nine [Masson] came alongside him and contact was made.

“After hearing both parties and reviewing the onboard cameras, the stewards found that no driver was predominantly to blame. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.”

Ricciardo wearing mask to ‘take extra precaution’

Daniel Ricciardo, one of few F1 drivers still wearing a mask in the paddock, said he is being extra-cautious after contracting Covid-19 and missing the second pre-season test this year, he had no current health concerns but was being extra careful.

“I just don’t like people,” he joked, at first. “No, I’m alright. It’s more just honestly, a bit of jetlag and lack of sleep coming from Baku so naturally just feel a little bit low energy and probably just taking extra caution. But no, I’m fine.

“I’ve seen some people wear it and then that makes me put it on because I’m also like, ‘are you wearing it because you’re not well?’ So I’m kind of taking precautions over people who are probably just taking precautions. But other than a little bit of sleep deprivation, I’m ok.”

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Comment of the day

After Lewis Hamilton admitted that he had been tempted to take George Russell’s slick tyre gamble in Q3, Pete Baldwin says that the risk calculation by each driver summarises their seasons so far:

I think it mirrors what we’ve seen from the two all season so far. Hamilton is much more conservative whereas Russell is more likely to go for it. As the car isn’t out front, you have to take a bit of a gamble at times to get further forward and it’s a big part of the reason why Russell has been out-performing Lewis so far.

If they had a car that was the fastest, I think Hamilton would generally get the better of Russell as he’d be more consistent.
@petebaldwin

Happy birthday!

Happy birthday to Julie, M744All and Erivaldo Moreira!

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  • On this day in 1987 Ayrton Senna put his Lotus on pole position at Detroit.

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Hazel is a motorsport and automotive journalist with a particular interest in hybrid systems, electrification, batteries and new fuel technologies....

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38 comments on “Magnussen says damage which triggered black-and-orange flag “was nothing””

  1. I wonder if the wing damage was on a RBR or Ferrari car whether the same flag would’ve been thrown. Seems to me that the teams with slower cars tend to suffer from more stewarding interventions than front runners.

    1. I’m waiting for that opportunity from race 1. Wittich made me feel that way and Freitas is trying to. Race direction needs even more wec like adoptions. We are not seeing any evolution from Masi.

      1. I do think both of them are more towards being extra cautious with those kind of things, yes @peartree, @dbradock. I think they would have flagged it on a front runner too, afterall Magnussen was running 6-7th when they did that.

        Not sure it is really a bad thing though, do we really want those kind of chunks of wing flying around?

    2. @dbradock I truly think any top team like RB, Ferrari and MB would not have put themselves in that position. They would have most likely pitted before getting the flag; like 99.9% of the time when it happens to top teams, for good reason. Their data would have told them that it was not going to be the same track time wise or increase tire wear (less downforce and dirtier air) and with every meter travelled the chances of it getting worse would increase and potentially cause even more significant losses in track position. Haas was acting like a deer in headlights by not doing anything.

      Mag’s first of all should not have put Haas in that position.

      1. I have to agree with you there @redpill.

      2. It’s not the first time either. He has one chance to mix it up with grown ups, and so this him desperately seeking a bit of notoriety. He might think it’s nothing but it could so easily have wreck Hamilton chances – again.

    3. Your right. Wasn’t it last season we had bits of verstappen’s car flying off and narrowly missing Hamilton in the car behind? Or was that the season before were that bit of car took out his mirror?

      Post-Masi and the hell are these stewards playing at? Looking out for the safety of the drivers behind these damaged cars? In Masi’s day that would never have happened.

  2. Magnussen easily made the worst play of the day that lead to a damaged front wing. The black & orange flag was not the problem.

    I believe he just did the same exact thing at Spain. Both times it was Haas’s best chances to score very critical points and try improve their very under budget, super limited parts team standings in the WCC points. Under Haas’s current circumstances and watching todays replay video of why he got front wing damage; it wasn’t a good look or anyone else fault. It was a driver mistake and not the other drivers fault (no matter who it is).

    Being flagged with the orange and white was way after he took himself out of any points contention once he damaged the wing. He should instead be directing that anger more at himself. I feel really bad for Haas as this keeps getting repeated by their driver seasons after season. Go back at look at 2018 & ’19 seasons with same kind of contact incidents that really hurt Haas. They’re moving backwards instead of forward.

    1. Mag matched Ham’s aggression and when 2 drivers that don’t budge race one another, contact ensues. For a team like Haas they can’t afford Mag to hedge his bets.

      1. @peartree well, both in Spain and here it ended with him worse of so perhaps at the start of a race that might well have an SC or two like here, it does pay to be a bit more cautions on the 1st lap. As others said, it wasn’t the flag that dropped him out of that position, he was already way down and the flag then sealed it.

      2. Mag again took too much risk in lap 1. HAM was nowhere near being aggressive (maybe he was in your anti-HAM biased mind). In Spain KMag was honest and clear-minded afterwards, when blaming himself for what happened. And he will know that its himself to blame also here. A pity for Haas, cause this team really deserves better results this year, than what they got til now.

    2. Neil (@neilosjames)
      20th June 2022, 7:05

      @redpill agreed. He knew who he was racing, and he knew the profile of the corner they were approaching. The likelihood of completing a pass in those circumstances was more or less zero, but he still shoved his nose into the danger zone for no real reason.

      I’m all for drivers having a go, but (and Magnussen isn’t alone in this) I’m sure everyone in the field has chased enough first-lap lost causes throughout their racing careers to know when to slot in behind.

      1. @neilosjames My concern now, is if Haas & Mag’s are in a good position in a start and has the potential to score points; will he drive the same way?

        Can he break the pattern?

      2. He knew who he was racing, and he knew the profile of the corner they were approaching. The likelihood of completing a pass in those circumstances was more or less zero, but he still shoved his nose into the danger zone for no real reason.

        The collision happened because the driver on the outside didn’t leave enough room between the apex kerb and his own car.

        Quite clear in the regs that under those circumstances, the car on the outside should maintain a cars-width gap for the car on the inside.
        Last year, on a faster corner, and different track, the car on the outside cutting in came to grief. KMag may actually have been lucky to avoid both a visit to the barrier and a post race penalty for causing a collision – even if the only one suffering was himself.

        I suspect that if he had left more room he could have been ahead, if not there and then, probably within a corner or two.

  3. The wing damage may not have been affecting performance but it was at risk of falling off and leaving debris on track or maybe even been collected by another car.

    This is part of why the black/orange flag exists. Not just to warn of damage that could cause problems for that car but also for if that damage is a potential risk to other cars should the bit fall off.

    Was a frustrating call for Kevin & Haas but was ultimately the right decision by race control.

    1. He drove several laps with his ‘damaged’ front wing and at no point did it look like there was a risk of falling off. Ever since Masi left, the stewards are way too eager to put the black-and-orange flag out.

  4. Had he waited just one lap pitting it would have been under VSC reducing the time damage. Don’t know what the rules are for getting a black and orange flag, though…

    Almost as bad: When Tsunoda crashed they had the opportunity to pit him and replace those very old C3’s – the timing was perfect as he was at the hairpin when the SC was announced. Instead they kept telling him to stay out as “they were still discussing” lap after lap. Of course after that, he was a sitting duck and was destined to end up last. Changing to fresh tyres (probably C2’s) was his only change to get anywhere near points at that time. Seems to me the team has been making a lot of bad decisions this year…

    1. The Sporting Regulations state the following:
      Black flag with an orange disc 40 cm in diameter.
      This flag should be used to inform the driver concerned that his car has mechanical problems likely to endanger himself or others and means that he must stop at his pit on the next lap. When the mechanical problems have been rectified to the satisfaction of the chief scrutineer, the car may rejoin the race.

      As the regulations state that the driver must pit no later than the next lap after he has been shown that flag, if Magnussen had ignored it and continued circulating round on track, he would likely have received further penalties (or possibly even been disqualified from the race).

      1. Might as well roll the dice if you are going to finish outside the points anyway.
        Given their was no immediate risk of the front wing falling off (or releasing debris), there should be an option for the stewards to force a driver to repair his car at the next pitstop without forcing them to do a pit stop straight away.

  5. Same old magnusson, throwing away potential points by being too aggressive. HAAS had their best qualifying ever, and still managed to score no points and drop to 9th in the constructors championship.

  6. I disagree. Pitting for the minor front wing damage was as necessary as Tsunoda’s rear wing issue or Leclerc’s front wing damage in the 2019 Japanese GP.
    Interestingly, he compared to Hamilton in last season’s Saudi Arabian GP, where he continued with a damaged front wing until the end, claiming unfairness.
    Weirder thing is how he suddenly started losing positions post-SC, ultimately dropping to last & 8+ seconds back on Latifi. He didn’t pit during the SC, so he had a more worn tyre set than those around, but still.

    Not every with a paddock pass can go into team garages or even commentary boxes, so those have to use teams’ paddock facilities, nothing unusual in this thing.

    I would’ve liked to be involved in that meeting if he really lost his cool to such an extent.

    First, the ‘liked by Pierre Gasly’ meme, & now a game replicating his regular pre-race ritual.

    COTD is right. Car performance level most likely has an impact on their relative approaches.

    1. everyone, not every.

    2. I would’ve liked to be involved in that meeting if he really lost his cool to such an extent.

      Well, you might have to watch Netflix early next year, since they were present and filming at the meeting @jerejj!

      1. @bascb
        Netflix crew may have been with Mercedes in Montreal, but I doubt they got granted access to this meeting.
        We’ll find out next February/March.

        1. I saw a few media people commenting on twitter that they were really there at the meeting.

          1. @bascb Interesting. I became skeptical because I thought people in that meeting would be hesitant to bring up matters if they were on camera.
            I guess they were encouraged, knowing no one would hear what they said until long after, with everything outdated by that point.

  7. That crash at Zandvoort really looked horrible. I am so glad that modern race cars are able to protect the drivers so that the guy not only survived but was even able to walk to the medical centre afterwards to get his check up.

  8. Magnussen didn’t need the meatball flag. The wing endplate wasn’t going anywhere – and even in the unlikely event that it had detached, all it would have done is skidded across the ground and into a wall.
    The contact which caused it was 50:50, and (as I said after Barcelona) any driver that doesn’t try to take advantage and gain positions at the start isn’t going to finish up the front in a car such as Haas’.
    The car won’t win many points on outright pace – so fighting for, and taking, track position is really their only chance.
    Let that opportunity go by, and you might as well find another job.

    1. as said by @neilosjames above, who managed to put it into very accurate words:

      he knew the profile of the corner they were approaching. The likelihood of completing a pass in those circumstances was more or less zero, but he still shoved his nose into the danger zone for no real reason.

      1. That’s nice, Roman, but it’s not really relevant. One of the drivers has to give – and if Hamilton bobbles first, Magnussen wins the place.
        It’s just a game of nerve, and Magnussen has nothing to lose. More often than not he’d finish down at the back of the field anyway.

        I repeat what I said last time – I’d do it too, if I were in Magnussen’s position. If you don’t intimidate, even in low percentage situations, you certainly won’t get up very far in that car.
        In both cases, Magnussen’s opponent (Hamilton) had a lot more to lose than Magnussen did in terms of race finish position, WCC points and marketing image.
        This time again, it didn’t work out for Magnussen – but that’s the game of chance they are playing. When you’ve got nothing, you’ve got nothing to lose.

        1. I think KMag blew up his chances for points again in lap 1, with a try which had close to no chance to work out. Surviving lap 1 on P5 would have been a decent start of the race for him.

          Like after Spain, he will know quite well. And like after Spain some experts here will know better.

          1. Just different opinions on what we’d do ourselves and what we as viewers want to see others doing, Roman.
            I’m not so keen on ‘racing’ where nobody is willing to try anything risky to improve their position.

            Zero risk is the biggest reason most people who don’t like F1 don’t like F1.

  9. I’m not against attempting to drive alongside another car for the first corners on lap one. And I don’t think the move was particularly reckless, either. It would probably also have worked in a slightly faster car or against a less brutal opponent. In my opinion that was clearly a racing incident and I wouldn’t even put the majority of the blame on KMAG.

    That discussion is, however, moot. What made the move stupid was the fact, that he would have been passed sooner or later by Lewis anyway – what did he hope to gain? Haas must have known that they would be behind the three faster brands and at least Alonso, so trying to defend P8 and P9 against the likes of Ocon, Ricciardo and Bottas must have been plan A, one would think…

    I get that race drivers are made from a competitive material; but a more mature team would have curbed the enthusiasm of their driver and told him to take a boring day at the office after such a qualifying. Sad, really.

    1. What made the move stupid was the fact, that he would have been passed sooner or later by Lewis anyway – what did he hope to gain?

      Track position, Claus.
      In F1, it means a lot – and is the only way to slow your opponents down. Look at DRS trains, for instance…
      He wouldn’t just have been slowing Hamilton down, he’d also be holding up everyone behind them.

      ALonso at Monaco comes to mind…

  10. Oh, and why, oh why, did Haas choose to let their sole remaining driver go to the line on 63 lap old tires???

  11. I just had a look at the onboards of Ocon (who did the exact same move on MSC in the exact same place as KMAG, only it succeeded) and MSC. Completely normal racing, though Lewis is closing the door real hard… Have a look at 8:25-8:35

  12. HAM did the same thing to MAG as VER did to BOT at Monza a couple of years ago, i.e. failed to leave a car’s width, but no penalty.

    ALO would have been penalised…

    1. Just rewatched both scenes. Verstappen went into Bottas on the straight when going left under braking and not leaving a cars width, while HAM left a cars width on the straight and they didnt touch until KMag turned into the corner and then in the middle of the corner came into contact with his front wing against HAMs rear wheel.

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