Kevin Magnussen arrived at the Canadian Grand Prix under serious pressure. He came close to earning a race ban after his collision with Sergio Perez in Monaco.
Magnussen kept his nose in on the outside of Perez on the ascent up Beau Rivage on the first lap. As the Red Bull driver naturally moved across, they made contact that resulted in a heavy crash and a red flag.
Nico Hulkenberg was the unfortunate bystander in the incident as Haas suffered a double DNF. Having dealt around £2.6m worth of damage to Perez’s car and given his team a mighty repair bill too, he faced a nervous wait for the stewards’ verdict.
Magnussen came into the event with 10 penalty points. If a driver accrues 12 over the course of the year, it triggers a one-race ban, and the Dane’s tally won’t come down until next March.
In the end, the stewards decided not to hand out any penalties. David Coulthard believes he was saved by the fact that it was the first lap, where they often take a more lenient approach.
A suspension could have been disastrous for Magnussen as he fights for his future. His contract is up at the end of the season and Haas are considering whether to make a change.
Jacques Villeneuve says Kevin Magnussen is destined to repeat same mistakes
Inevitably, journalists asked Magnussen about the incident during his media duties ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix. The former McLaren driver issued a defiant response, insisting that Perez ‘had seen’ him and hadn’t left a car’s width (RacingNews365).
When those remarks were put to 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve in the Sky Sports commentary box during FP2, he launched into a stinging rebuke. He says there’s not even a debate to be had over who was to blame for the incident.
And he feels that Magnussen’s lack of introspection will cost him in the long run. In his eyes, he’s bound to get involved in further incidents if he doesn’t change his mindset.
“That’s why he never learns,” Villeneuve said. “100, 1000% there’s no doubt [it was his fault]. Unless, as a driver, you spend your time thinking ‘I was wrong, what could I have done better?’, you will never learn and you will repeat over and over and over the same mistake.”
Ayao Komatsu critical of Magnussen after Monaco crash
The verdict of a pundit is one thing, but crucially, Magnussen’s boss Ayao Komatsu wasn’t impressed either. Speaking in the team principals’ press conference (F1), the Haas team principal said that he’d taken an unnecessary risk.
“He expected Perez to leave more room for him but that’s not up to him in the end,” he said. “There was a point where everything was under his control where he could have made a decision to back off which he didn’t.”
These comments certainly don’t bode well for Magnussen’s chances of earning a new deal. He would have hoped that the pressure was off after Hulkenberg signed for Audi, opening up a clear vacancy for junior Oliver Bearman.
But while Bearman is fully expected to replace Hulkenberg, it looks like Haas will make a wholesale change to their line-up. Martin Brundle has heard that Esteban Ocon is headed for the American team as he leaves Alpine.
The Frenchman has a close relationship with Komatsu dating back to his days as a test driver. And if he does complete the move, it could feasibly spell the end of Magnussen’s F1 career.
The post 'That's why he never learns': Jacques Villeneuve angered by what Kevin Magnussen said at Canadian GP appeared first on F1 Oversteer.