Kevin Magnussen’s race ban this weekend in Azerbaijan has brought into sharp focus the current penalty points system and the intent of its use.
Magnussen picked up two penalty points at the Italian Grand Prix, bringing him to 12 points on his F1 super licence and thus automatically triggering a race ban, meaning he sits out this weekend at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
What crimes has Kevin Magnussen committed over the last 12 months?
Magnussen has committed five separate incidents which earned him penalty points over the last 12 months to trigger the automatic race ban – the first driver to fall foul of the 12-point rule since being introduced in 2014.
Magnussen is also the first driver in 12 years to pick up a race ban, since Romain Grosjean was given the draconian punishment for triggering the first-corner crash at the 2012 Belgian Grand Prix that caused a huge collision.
All of Magnussen’s points-earning punishments were handed out this season, with the slate being wiped clean to restore him to zero after the Baku weekend.
- Three points were awarded for causing a collision with Alex Albon during the 2024 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.
- Two points were awarded for causing a collision with Yuki Tsunoda during the 2024 Chinese Grand Prix.
- Three points were awarded for leaving the track and gaining an advantage on multiple occasions during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix Sprint as additional ‘aggravating circumstances’, following multiple time penalties.
- Two points were awarded for causing a collision with Logan Sargeant during the 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
- Two points were awarded for causing a collision with Pierre Gasly during the 2024 Italian Grand Prix.
.webp)
