A sloping front wing end plate was fatal to Kevin Magnussen in the Singapore Grand Prix. Because the race management ordered the Haas driver to stop in the pit lane for repairs due to the damage. “That cost me 30 seconds,” says Magnussen. He finished the Formula 1 race in twelfth place, 23 seconds behind the final points finish.
But Magnussen is not aware of any guilt himself. When asked about the incident on the first lap of the race, he says simply: “I don’t remember it. I didn’t notice it at all, really not. The entire first lap was very close. I didn’t even notice that it there was a touch. I couldn’t feel anything on the car either.”
Shortly after the start, Magnussen was involved in a position duel with Max Verstappen in the Red Bull and drove alongside the world champion on several occasions. However, he damaged his front wing on the rear of Lance Stroll in the Aston Martin, which he simply came too close to on the brakes. Then the side end plate of the Haas wing hung crooked on the left.
There was no danger from the front wing, says Magnussen
You can’t see it from the cockpit. That’s why Magnussen says he only found out about it over the radio. “The team told me the damage was only minor.” The race management, however, saw things differently and saw a potential danger in the crooked part. Therefore, Magnussen received the black flag with an orange dot. Means: pit stop necessary for repairs.
But Magnussen doesn’t agree and says: “The end plate is secured with a cable. The FIA should know that because they make the rules. This part doesn’t just fly off. So it’s not a safety issue, especially since it’s still there didn’t even flap.” Sending him to the pits for this was “exaggerated,” said the Haas driver.
Magnussen tries to talk to the race director
For example, at the Canadian Grand Prix, race control also asked Magnussen to pit, because the side end plate on the front wing was also worn out there. A similar situation followed in Hungary. That’s why Magnussen wants to “talk to the rule guards again” and explain the facts.
“Hopefully they’ll outline what’s really going on here. You’ll probably still be allowed to have a scratch on the car! We’re in Formula 1 here. You have to be able to fight,” says Magnussen.
He “of course” has a certain understanding of the race management: “If the front wing is crooked, then you don’t want it [sich löst und] gets under the car or hits another vehicle. I understand that.” On the other hand, it is only a “small part of the wing that is fixed anyway and cannot fly off,” says Magnussen.
Only teammate Schumacher is doing worse
And so the Dane is annoyed about his race in Singapore, “when you consider how many people got into trouble and how crazy the race was. I just had an additional pit stop for another set of intermediates that I didn’t need.”
Because not everything went smoothly for teammate Mick Schumacher either – contact with Mercedes driver George Russell also forced him to stop for repairs – Magnussen won the team duel at Haas and thus shortened it to 6:10 from his point of view. In qualifying it is 13:4 for Magnussen.