For the 2014 season, Formula 1, the premier class of motorsport, introduced a penalty point system, whereby F1 stars receive points on their driver’s license for rule violations. If a driver collects twelve points in twelve months, he is banned from one race. This will happen for the first time at the upcoming Grand Prix in Azerbaijan – much to the chagrin of veteran Fernando Alonso.
An incident with historic consequences occurred at the Formula 1 race in Monza. After a collision with Pierre Gasly, Haas driver Kevin Magnussen received his eleventh and twelve penalty points – and thus a ban for the upcoming Grand Prix in Baku.
A situation that two-time world champion Fernando Alonso is not really happy about.
“The penalty points should, as we have often discussed, apply to dangerous driving … something that poses a danger to the sport and to others,” the “Marca” quoted the 43-year-old Spaniard as saying. Magnussen’s failed overtaking maneuver, on the other hand, was simply a mistake that could happen in a race, and the consequences were manageable, said Alonso.
Without knowing the exact situation, he also suspects that some of the points that adorn Magnussen’s account were only imposed for minor things such as crossing the white line when leaving the pit lane or similar. These types of penalties should not affect a driver so much that he is completely excluded from a race.
Even Gasly finds the ban “definitely unfair”
“I mean, this is part of racing. There should be a drive-through penalty for this, it can also be a five-second penalty. I understand racing penalties, but safety penalties are a bit more difficult to understand,” concludes Alonso, who is also one of the most at-risk in the field with eight penalty points.
The decision also has little support among the drivers directly affected. “It surprised me a little because he tried, but it was a question of will and in the end I really didn’t lose any time,” said Gasly, commenting on the maneuver after the race and even announcing that he would seek a discussion with the race stewards because a ban would be “definitely unfair.”
“I don’t understand it at all. I’m just completely confused,” Magnussen commented on the decision. This doesn’t change his suspension.
Source: www.sport.de
