Kevin Magnussen's F1 tactics have helped Haas and put him in danger of a racing ban

If you had told Haas going into this Formula 1 season that it would have points from four rounds after Miami and be seventh in the championship, the team would have been very happy.

A car that is more forgiving on the tyres, combined with some particularly impressive performances from Nico Hülkenberg, has put Haas a step ahead of Williams, Sauber and Alpine so far in 2024. The car has exceeded all pre-season expectations, put on the back burner after a difficult end. to last year, in which it finished last, and which resulted in the departure of Guenther Steiner in the offseason.

On a few occasions, the decisive factor in reaching the top ten was Hülkenberg's teammate, Kevin Magnussen, whose bold defensive tactics – it wouldn't be a stretch to call them aggressive – helped his teammate pick up a few extra points.

But after a penalty-filled weekend in Miami, Magnussen will be on the brink of an F1 racing ban for the rest of the season due to his driving, assuming he doesn't cause it with another violation.

At a time when the gap between the five fastest teams in F1 and the slowest five is so wide, every point is valuable in the battle at the back of the grid, especially as each manufacturer's championship position is worth between $12 and $15 . million in prize money.

Magnussen had this in mind in Saudi Arabia after receiving an early time penalty for a collision with Alex Albon and another for passing Yuki Tsunoda out of bounds. Knowing that his race had been ruined by the extra time, he became aggressive in his defensive movements to help Hülkenberg. By slowing down the cars he was battling, Magnussen created a gap that allowed Hülkenberg to pit without losing a position, leaving him 10th and scoring a precious point for Haas.

After the race, Hülkenberg thanked Magnussen for playing the team game. Magnussen took three penalty points for the collision with Albon, while overtaking Tsunoda only resulted in a 10-second time penalty, even though it would have cost the following cars much more.

Magnussen picked up a further two penalty points in China for his collision with Tsunoda after the safety car restart, taking him to five for the season. Any driver who accumulates 12 penalty points on their super license in a 12-month period will be subject to a one-race ban, under rules introduced in 2014.

But it was in the sprint race in Miami that Magnussen himself did the real damage, again helping Hülkenberg score a few points. He went off track three times to get ahead of Lewis Hamilton, opening a gap with Hülkenberg who was ahead of him. Each resulted in a 10-second time penalty meaning Magnussen was classified last, but his actions were effective allowing Hülkenberg to run away from the front.

Magnussen was already aware of the first 10-second time penalty, which put him in last place before the second and third offences, the latter also adding three penalty points to his super license due to the frequency of the misdeeds. After the race on the radio he talked about “nice teamwork”, and afterwards admitted to F1 TV that he “had to do my thing to protect Nico” who scored two points for Haas in seventh place.

“I had to play the sporting game to prevent him from being overtaken too,” said Magnussen. “So not the way I want to race. But what I had to do.”

The stewards investigated Magnussen for unsportsmanlike conduct after the sprint, as he so freely admitted he drove the way he did to help Hülkenberg, but felt this bar was too high for his actions. Magnussen received the penalties prescribed by the regulations; if they are not strict enough, that is the fault of the rules, not the driver. The stewards noted that the rules did not deter the way Magnussen drove, and that they would discuss the matter “explicitly” with the FIA ​​and the stewarding team.

Magnussen agreed that the rules could be improved. “If you are fighting and doing something that is not allowed, it would be great if the FIA ​​had the power to tell you to give it back and change positions,” he said. “That way it will have an immediate effect and prevent games from being played.”

McLaren boss Andrea Stella was not very impressed with Magnussen's actions in the sprint. He called them “unacceptable” and said the penalties should be “exponential,” not cumulative. “Five plus five plus five should equal… maybe you should spend a weekend at home with your family, think about your sportsmanship and then come back,” Stella said.

The FIA ​​will have to investigate carefully whether this is a loophole that needs to be closed to improve driving standards, or is simply part of the game. For now, it remains firmly the latter, and it's one that Magnussen played to perfection in Miami.

That's not to say there might not be a price to pay. The three penalty points were followed by another two on Sunday for his clumsy collision with Logan Sargeant, taking Magnussen to ten, two shy of a racing ban.

It is not the first time that a driver has reached this number – Pierre Gasly ran a few races on 10 points in early 2023 – but it will be the first time that a driver has to spend most of the season under the threat of a ban the lurker.

Penalties are generally limited to on-track incidents (the three for repeated breaches of track limits were an exception), meaning it is likely only a collision with another driver that could tip Magnussen over the limit to 12. Magnussen won't do that. he must drop all his points until the start of next season, meaning he still has 18 races to go without further incident.

If Magnussen were to be benched for a race, Oliver Bearman would be first in line to step in after his star turn for Ferrari in Jeddah. Bearman will compete in FP1 for Haas at Imola next weekend, his first of six planned practice appearances with the team over the course of the season.

Asking a driver to change his approach or be more attentive in battle is much easier said than done. Magnussen, as successful as his tactics have been so far in helping Haas this season, now leaves him at risk of spending a race on the sidelines barring a flawless rest of the season.

(Kevin Magnussen main photo: Song Haiyuan/MB Media/Getty Images)