Hülkenberg asks the FIA to review its penalty system

For the first time since 2012, a regular driver has been sanctioned by the FIA with a ban for a race. This is Kevin Magnussen. The Dane has lost his last two points on his license and has therefore been suspended for the next Grand Prix, which will take place this weekend at the Baku circuit, where he will be replaced by Oliver Bearman. Even though the FIA’s decision regarding Kevin Magnussen’s case will not be reviewed, despite the support expressed by other drivers in favor of the former McLaren member, his teammate, the German Nico Hülkenberg, strongly criticized the penalty stewards, arguing that the regulations are not clear enough in the allocation of these sanctions.

An unfair sanction for Magnussen according to his teammate.

During the Italian Grand Prix, the Danish driver collided with Pierre Gasly while trying to overtake him in turn 4. The FIA quickly took action on the incident and imposed a double penalty on the Haas driver: a 10-second penalty and a deduction of 2 points from his Super License, bringing his total to 12 points, exceeding the allowed limit. However, several drivers spoke out after the race about this incident, such as Gasly. The French driver showed his support for the Danish driver, finding his penalty rather unfair given the situation in which the two drivers were involved.

« I was told that he received a 10-second penalty. I am a bit surprised because he tried, but it was just a bit of wheel-to-wheel and in the end, I really didn’t lose any time. I am a bit surprised. I hope they can review this decision because it would be really unfair », said the Normand after the race. For his part, Hülkenberg holds similar views, with the German questioning the aggressiveness of the race stewards in handing out penalties, which discourages drivers from attempting too bold overtaking moves for fear of being penalized.

A regulation that does not encourage exceeding limits

« I did not see two penalty points in this incident, and a 10-second penalty is very severe in my opinion, and most drivers feel the same way », said Hülkenberg to the press, including RacingNews365, stating that the incident between Gasly and Magnussen often happens when two drivers are fighting for a position. « I had a similar case with Fernando [Alonso] in the Austrian sprint race where I tried to overtake at turn 3, I locked up my wheels, went wide, and he had to go off track, but that’s part of racing. To overtake, we have to step out of our comfort zone, take risks, and these kinds of things sometimes happen. »

In my case with Fernando, and also with Pierre, both drivers said: “It’s nothing,” so it seems that every time there is a slight contact, the stewards want to intervene, they want there to be a consequence,” continued the German driver, who is calling for a revision of the FIA regulations regarding the imposition of penalties, so that they are now proportional to the consequences on the track. He noted that Ricciardo had received a lesser penalty than Magnussen, even though the Australian had damaged Nico Hülkenberg’s car, unlike the Dane with Pierre Gasly. On his part, the German driver had received a 10-second penalty, like his teammate, but having seriously damaged Yuki Tsunoda’s car, which had ultimately forced him to retire.

« Pilots think that it is not really necessary for every contact, so maybe the guidelines concerning penalties should be reviewed and modified, as we need to be able to race, otherwise it becomes too difficult. It will be boring and monotonous if we can no longer race, we will simply be penalized all the time, but I am sure that this will be addressed during the drivers’ meeting, and that there will be discussions with [race director] Niels [Wittich]. » Nevertheless, Hülkenberg refrained from requesting the complete removal of the penalty points system, considering that it still helped prevent some drivers from exceeding the limits in their maneuvers.

A system that nevertheless enhances safety on the track

« It is for extreme cases, and if the drivers do something stupid or dangerous, it is good to keep us under control and we know that there is a consequence if we do something stupid, so I think this must stay in place. […] It is good to have this in place for extreme cases, but with all these little race incidents, it is delicate and the limit is thin. » While waiting for potential changes in the regulations, Haas will only have one regular driver this weekend, with Magnussen giving up his seat to the team’s future driver, Oliver Bearman.