How Kevin Magnussen earned his race ban in Baku.
Kevin Magnussen’s race ban is at the centre of attention ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. After his penalty at the Italian GP, his on-track presence in Baku was in question.
Magnussen’s attempt of a risky overtake on Pierre Gasly at the Roggia at the Italian GP earned him a penalty. At that point, the race ban was inevitable. So, from the 13th to the 15th of September, in Baku, the 19-year-old Oliver Bearman will take his place. Oliver – also known as Ollie – Bearman is the reserve driver for the team. The Briton Haas already confirmed him for the upcoming 2025 season.
Good stuff: One point in Monza. Bad stuff: Race ban in Baku. See you in Singapore 🇮🇹 ⏩ 🇸🇬 #HaasF1 #ItalianGP pic.twitter.com/jCrSQykP0z
— Kevin Magnussen (@KevinMagnussen) September 3, 2024
Indeed, the race ban is a harsh penalty, but it is also quite rare. There are a few other cases of race ban; the most recent was in 2012 with Roman Grosjean. Before that, Jacques Villeneuve (1997), Michael Schumacher (1994), Eddie Irvine (1994), Nigel Mansell (1989) and Riccardo Patrese (1978) received one.
But how does a race ban work?
The Super license for Formula 1 drivers has existed since the 90s, while the penalties were introduced in 2014.
When a driver gets a penalty point, these points remain on a driver’s licence for a period of 12 months. If a driver accumulates 12 penalty points on their Super license within those 12 points, they are banned from the next race. They then return with no penalty points on their licences. Magnussen has reached the limit of 12 penalty points.
Kevin Magnussen is the first driver to receive a race ban since the penalty point system was introduced ❌
Here’s how he accrued the maximum 12 penalty points in a 12-month period#F1 pic.twitter.com/vzy94QxaM3
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 5, 2024
In Kevin Magnussen’s case, he’ll race in Singapore and the remaining races without any previously earned penalty points. After his race ban, Magnussen will have a clean slate again. He will be aiming to not accumulate 12 penalty points in the next 12 months again.
The drivers at risk of a race ban
Naturally, the Danish driver is not the only one who has been collecting penalty points. Some other names on the grid are in the list of drivers who should be even more careful on the track.
Right behind Magnussen are Red Bull’s Sergio Perez and Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, both with 8 points. Alonso’s teammate, Lance Stroll also has 5 penalty points. Magnuessen’s teammate Nico Hulkenberg and reigning champion Max Verstappen follow suit with 4 points. Former Renault teammates Esteban Ocon and Daniel Ricciardo have 3 points. George Russell and Valtteri Bottas have 2 points each. At the bottom of this list, there is Carlos Sainz with only 1 point.
The other Ferrari driver, Charles Leclerc doesn’t have any point, just like the two McLaren drivers and the Williams new pair, Alexander Albon and Franco Colapinto. Contrary to their teammates, Pierre Gasly, Yuki Tsunoda, Zhou Guanyu and Lewis Hamilton also don’t have any points on their licenses.
