Of all the elite drivers in Formula 1, Red Bull’s Sergio Perez is the closest to receiving a one-race ban. Perez has amassed eight penalty points over the course of the last 12 months.
Under the rules, if a driver receives 12, it triggers a suspension. Perez will be wary of keeping his nose clean, especially until mid-September when one of his points expires.
It remains to be seen whether the FIA would actually follow through with the threat of a ban. The system is designed as a deterrent but opinions on vary on the extent to which it has teeth.
Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso is halfway there and will be carrying those six points, at a minimum, until next March. That’s after his incident with George Russell at the Australian Grand Prix and collision with Carlos Sainz in the Chinese GP sprint.
Russell crashed out on the penultimate lap of the race in Melbourne as he hunted down Alonso. The stewards decided that the Spaniard had driven in a potentially dangerous manner by lifting off far earlier than usual.
Aston Martin would lodge a protest against the latter verdict ahead of the race in Miami, which Will Buxton called ‘God’s work’. Ultimately, however, the FIA dismissed it.
One-race suspension for Kevin Magnussen has been ‘suggested’
The driver who tops the overall penalty points table, though, is Kevin Magnussen. Heading into one of the home races for his Haas team, Magnussen was in no immediate danger as he sat on five points.
But he managed to double that tally in the course of one weekend. He earned three for repeatedly leaving the track in his sprint-race scrap with Lewis Hamilton, and two more for causing a collision with Logan Sargeant in the Grand Prix.
According to BBC Sport’s Andrew Benson, ‘some in Miami’ had ‘suggested’ that Magnussen should receive a ban for his on-track conduct. Clearly, they feel his driving standards last weekend were so poor that he merits a punishment outside the existing system.
Magnussen is now a vastly experienced figure with 169 races and 187 points under his belt. Only seven drivers on the current grid have started more Grands Prix.
Will Kevin Magnussen get a race ban?
It seems unlikely that the FIA will give in to any pressure from rival teams to ban Magnussen prematurely. But even still, he may have to change his approach to racing for the remainder of the year.
There are 18 races to go, and if Magnussen picks up just two points, then he’ll reach the ban threshold. In a year where he’s fighting for his future at Haas, this could be very costly indeed.
Thus far, the former McLaren driver has failed to convince Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu that he’s the right man for next season. One journalist believes he harmed his chances of an extension in Miami.
Haas were apparently unhappy at the implication that he was forced to defend against Hamilton in the manner that he did. Magnussen said he was trying to create a gap for teammate Nico Hulkenberg ahead.
As for the incident with Sargeant on race day, Martin Brundle felt it was ‘unnecessary’ and ‘silly’. Magnussen ultimately came home as the last classified runner in 19th, while Sargeant crashed out.
The post ‘Was suggested’: Some F1 paddock figures thought 187-point driver deserved suspension after Miami - journalist appeared first on F1 Oversteer.