Magnussen on Nyck de Vries: “I think he’s racing for his future.”

In Canada, these two fought fiercely on the track: De Vries even locked his wheels, dragging Magnussen into the escape route with him. In Spielberg, the two men found themselves on the track again, and once again, the battle raged on. In Canada, Magnussen had declared that he didn’t hold anything against Nyck de Vries and that he had no right to judge bold and aggressive defenses. In Austria, the attitude has changed, and Magnussen is starting to get frustrated with these fights that go beyond the limit.

Magnussen exasperated

Pushed into the gravel at turn 6 by Nyck de Vries, the situation did not sit well with the Danish driver. On the Red Bull Ring track, even the slightest wheel off the track can be fatal and force you to retire. And during their close battle, Magnussen believes that Nyck de Vries may have gone a bit too far.

« He received a penalty, didn’t he? So he pushed me away, but I think he’s running for his future,” said the Haas driver. He is referring to the ultimatum set by Helmut Marko to de Vries and highlighting the pressure the Dutchman is under to keep his place in Formula 1 next year. Indeed, with his poor start to the season, de Vries is already on thin ice and other drivers are already poised to replace him.

He might be in a slightly desperate situation, so I can’t say anything. He received a penalty, that’s how it is,” Magnussen added.

Nyck de Vries indifferent about the penalty

For pushing Magnussen off the track, de Vries received a 5-second penalty. However, in a post-race interview, he was indifferent to the decision of the stewards. He also did not complain about the penalty. The Dutchman even goes as far as to say that they appreciate each other and enjoy fighting like that. “« It happens that we appreciate each other when it comes to meeting on the track, but I think the race was tough, I will accept the penalty »,” he declared.

He declares not to regret this penalty either because he fights to the limit with everyone and doesn’t intend to kick his opponents out. « It’s not up to me to decide whether I should be penalized or not. We race hard, trying to find the limits, sometimes just beyond and sometimes below » stated De Vries.

This penalty did not have any impact on Nyck de Vries’ position after the race as he managed to stay ahead of Kevin Magnussen. « The stewards gave me a penalty and we took it. Thankfully, we had built up a sufficient gap to not lose any positions » concluded the Dutch driver.

Nyck de Vries finished 17th in the Austrian Grand Prix, far from the points once again. Still under the pressure of Helmut Marko, the Dutch driver will have to perform much better in the remaining races before the summer break.