Haas pair criticise penalty which led to Magnussen’s ban · F1 · RaceFans

Kevin Magnussen’s team mate and substitute said he didn’t deserve a ban as a result of the incident he was involved in at Monza.

The Haas driver is absent from this weekend’s race in Baku after reaching a total of 12 penalty points on his licence. He is the first driver in Formula 1 history to do so since the penalty points system was introduced a decade ago.

Magnussen’s ban was triggered by his fifth penalty in 15 rounds, four of which were for contact with another driver. His latest collision, at Monza, involved Pierre Gasly.

Oliver Bearman, who is standing in for Magnussen this weekend, said he had been on standby as Magnussen reached 10 penalty points at the Miami Grand Prix in May, since when he has been at high risk of a ban.

“It’s a great opportunity,” Bearman told Sky. “I knew it was coming at some stage, it had been on the cards, I knew it was it was a possibility.

“Despite the fact that I think it was quite a harsh penalty for Kevin in Monza, of course I was happy to get the chance. When you get a call to go in F1, you take it with both hands.

“But I wish Kevin the best and I’ll give him his car back in Singapore, nice and smooth.”

Nico Hulkenberg, Magnussen’s usual team mate, does not believe Magnussen deserved the two penalty points for his collision with Gasly which led to his ban.

“The penalty that he received wasn’t entirely justified,” he said. “I think it was racing, and then quite unfortunate to get a penalty of that magnitude with that consequence for it.”

Haas have denied they might keep Bearman in the car for the remainder of the season, as he is due to drive for the team next year anyway.

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