Penalty on the starting grid for Magnussen at the Mexican Grand Prix
Author of a superb race during the United States Grand Prix, Magnussen offered us a great battle with Sebastian Vettel, fighting for the 8th position until the final moments. The Danish driver will have to face a completely different challenge this Sunday as he will suffer a 5-place grid penalty due to a power unit change.
This 2022 season was certainly not easy for the American team, who had to deal with an underperforming car during many weekends. While the United States Grand Prix allowed them to gather valuable points with Kevin Magnussen finishing in 9th place, the Mexican Grand Prix will be a completely different challenge due to the engine penalty imposed on the Danish driver.
Indeed, during the FP1 session, Pietro Fittipaldi, who replaced Magnussen for a rookie practice session, suffered a mechanical failure in the middle of the session. Haas had to repair Magnussen’s car, which had suffered an engine failure, until the middle of the second free practice session. In this case, the penalty is a 5-place grid drop as it is the 6th engine unit installed for Magnussen this season, exceeding the limit of 3 allowed units.
The Haas driver will have a tough job this weekend as he absolutely needs to secure his team’s 8th place in the World Constructors’ Championship. Indeed, Haas only has a small one-point lead over its closest pursuer, AlphaTauri. The American team is struggling to score points towards the end of the season with an underperforming car, and the relative reliability of the Ferrari engine sometimes lets them down.
Two drivers are penalized for this Mexican Grand Prix, Lance Stroll will also receive a 3-place grid penalty following his violent crash during the United States Grand Prix with Fernando Alonso.</a
