Kevin Magnussen's weekend at the Italian Grand Prix took a turn for the worse after he crashed during Free Practice 2 (FP2). This incident followed a significant fine he received for impeding another driver in Free Practice 1 (FP1).
During FP2, Magnussen lost control of his car at the Second Lesmo, hitting the barriers due to oversteer. The crash led to a red flag, halting the session temporarily.
Sky Sports F1 analyst Karun Chandhok offered his insights into the crash, explaining during the live broadcast:
"He turns in, loses the rear end on entry. The car was quite loose as soon as he turns the wheel.
"It looks like he had more speed than the grip would allow. As soon as he got on the dust, he was off.
"Lesmo 2, you always get an oversteery feeling and have to pre-empt it a bit. Maybe just a bit too much speed on the way in."
Earlier in FP1, Haas was fined €7,500 after Magnussen blocked Carlos Sainz at Turns 6 and 7, forcing Sainz to abandon his fast lap.
The FIA stewards noted a communication breakdown within the Haas team, which failed to alert Magnussen about Sainz's approach in time. The investigation reviewed various data, including video footage and team radio exchanges.
The stewards' report stated that while Magnussen did not see Sainz due to the track layout, the team should have provided adequate warning based on available telemetry data.
Although the team made an error, the situation was deemed not dangerous, resulting in a reduced penalty.
The report read:
"Session: Practice 1
"Fact: Car 20 impeded Car 55 in turn 7.
"Infringement: Breach of Article 37.5 of the FIA Formula One Sporting Regulations.
"Decision: The competitor (MoneyGram Haas F1 Team) is fined €7,500.
"Reason: The Stewards heard from the driver of Car 20 (Kevin Magnussen), the driver of Car 55 (Carlos Sainz), team representatives and reviewed positioning/marshalling system data, video, timing, telemetry, team radio and in-car video evidence.
"The team radio of Car 20 revealed that no warning of the approach of Car 55 was given until the very moment that Car 55 was immediately behind it. The driver of Car 20 explained that he checked his mirrors and because of the track layout at that point, Car 55 was not visible. Further, between Turns 6 and 7 there was one other car driving slowly between Cars 20 and 55, off the racing line.
"The driver of Car 55 stated in evidence that the situation was not dangerous.
"It was obvious from the GPS data, available to the Team, that Car 55 was rapidly approaching and overtaking cars behind Car 20 and therefore adequate prior warning should have been given to the driver of Car 20.
"Normally, in accordance with our Penalty Guidelines, a formal warning would be issued to the driver of Car 20 however in this case we consider that because the track layout at this point did not facilitate visibility of Car 55's approach, such a warning is undeserved.
"Impeding incidents in Free Practice are normally not investigated unless they are potentially dangerous or involve an error by the Team. In this case, although the Team made an error, the situation was not potentially dangerous and hence the penalty on the Team is reduced to half that of the previous two precedents this year."
As the session resumed after the red flag, Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets, followed by Lando Norris and Carlos Sainz. Magnussen's challenges this weekend highlight the pressures and complexities drivers face on the track.
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