F1 News
What Steiner would have said to Magnussen in Monaco
- Sophia Crothall
Kevin Magnussen is known for his risky and sometimes dangerous driving techniques. In Monaco, this was no exception after he collided with both his teammate Nico Hulkenberg and Red Bull's Sergio Perez in the first lap. Speaking on The Red Flags podcast, former Hass team boss Guenther Steiner shares his reaction to Magnussen's moves and what he would have said to him if he was still the team principal.
When asked what he would have said to the Dane after his incident in Monaco, the former team boss said: "I'd say what the f***? Starting last, there is no need for it. There is no way in Monte Carlo that with any strategy, starting last, you can get into the points. It's not going to happen. Why do you even try to do it?"
Steiner is no stranger to Magnussen's driving style, having worked with him in 2017-2020, and then again in 2022 and 2023 when he brought him back to the team. For the Italian, he didn't seem surprised that Magnussen tried to pull such a move: "That is the things he does," he said. "Sometimes he just thinks there is something which isn't there. In the end, it was obvious. If you start last after a weekend like this, if nothing strange is happening, don't cause the very strange thing. If something strange does happen, we can get into the points, but don't start the strange thing. That's what happened in the end."
Could Magnussen face a race ban?
To the surprise of many, no further investigation or action was taken by the stewards after the incident. David Coulthard was certainly surprised by the decision: “The stewards have put it down as a racing incident, but that accident was caused because Magnussen stuck his nose in and the chances of outdragging him up the hill and around the outside on a non-straight, slim and none," he analysed on behalf of Channel 4. "If that had been on any other lap in the Grand Prix, I think Magnussen would be looking at a little holiday from Formula 1."
Nevertheless, this was lucky for Magnussen, who currently has 10 points on his superlicense, all of which he has picked up this season. He is just two points away from an automatic raceban. Therefore, Magnussen needs to avoid picking up any additional points this season.