Kevin Magnussen’s deliberately slow driving at Zandvoort sparks debate
Kevin Magnussen was criticized at the weekend for slowing down the field to help his teammate Nico Hülkenberg. His strategy was deemed dangerous by several drivers, including Alexander Albon and Pierre Gasly, who expressed concerns about safety and the lack of clear rules surrounding the practice.
During the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort, Kevin Magnussen once again found himself at the center of attention. While facing a new controversy due to his driving, several drivers have pointed out the dangerousness of his behavior. Trying to help his teammate Nico Hülkenberg, he once again caused chaos during the race.
A valuable but criticized help
As the grid advances in the fortieth lap of the race, Nico Hülkenberg is ahead of his teammate. Kevin Magnussen, who is positioned behind, is considering a strategy to separate himself from the pack. The Danish driver’s plan is to slow down the group of cars behind him to gain time for the second Haas driver. Despite starting at the back of the grid, the Dane managed to climb up to the tenth position by completing a long first stint on hard tires. With Nico Hülkenberg just ahead in ninth place,
Kevin Magnussen quickly found himself pursued by Alex Albon, Pierre Gasly, and the two Aston Martin drivers, Fernando Alonso and Lance Stroll. While he had started implementing part of his plan, it doesn’t seem to be working, and as a result, his German teammate is caught up by Pierre Gasly and Fernando Alonso. They will occupy the last two positions in the Top 10. Although the idea of slowing down the pack is not new, having already been used by the Danish driver in Saudi Arabia and Miami, it is nonetheless criticized. After the race, his tactic received mixed reactions from other drivers, including those stuck in the pack.
Danger that no one has control over.
On Alexander Albon’s side, a driver at Williams, the situation seems particularly dangerous and above all out of control. He has already experienced a similar situation with Yuki Tsunoda in Monaco and the lack of rules on practice creates a blur between what can be done or not. Kevin is an incredible teammate, and I give him all credit for that, said the Thai driver as reported by PlanetF1.com. I don’t think it’s well controlled and there is some sort of grey area between what is correct when slowing down a group of cars. In this case, for me, it was quite on the limit. There were very fast turns, like turns 7 and 8, and the last turn, where he was braking in the middle. So, you commit at full speed, then suddenly you have to brake sharply and avoid it. I think it crosses the line a bit, but it’s blurry.
In the same interview, Alexander Albon still supports the practice. If it is sometimes unfair, it is mostly part of the strategies to secure the tenth or ninth place. For the midfield teams, sacrificing one of the drivers to allow the other to score points is an option that should not be ruled out. However, the driver warns against this decision. While it allows to climb in the rankings, it remains nevertheless dangerous. “The problem is that at some point, there will be an accident,” he said.
An inappropriate place to implement this strategy
After the Dutch Grand Prix, Pierre Gasly who was behind Kevin Magnussen at the beginning, shared his own impressions on the subject. He, who managed to avoid the chaos, declared that the Danish’s strategies were obvious. Especially when he seemed to slow down in parts of the track where he should not have. “I have never seen anyone lift the foot in turn 14 or shift into first gear in turn 12,” he admitted. “It was pretty clear what he was trying to do for Nico.”
Despite the obstacles, Pierre Gasly managed to overtake the driver and finish his race in ninth place. But during the battle, Kevin Magnussen’s plan caused problems for his rivals. If the incidents had occurred without drama, the drivers could have lost control of their vehicle. « Alex got very close to him. He blocked right in the middle of turn 12 while Magnussen was downshifting to first gear, where he should almost be at full throttle. Then, in turn 14, I opened the DRS and, suddenly, I don’t know what he was doing on the inside, » he finished.
This incident in Zandvoort has rekindled the debate on defensive driving techniques in Formula 1. Especially among midfield teams fighting for precious points. As the season progresses, it remains to be seen if the FIA will intervene to regulate these tactics more strictly. It is worth noting that the organization has already changed the regulations once, especially after incidents at the Chinese Grand Prix.
