In addition to Charles Leclerc’s first victory in his home country, the headlines were dominated by the violent start-up accident between Sergio Perez and Kevin Magnussen, with Nico Hülkenberg as collateral damage. Officially, no one was to blame for the crash, and the race stewards did not even investigate the incident. F1 expert Christian Danner takes a different view: Both drivers should actually have been penalized.
Christian Danner: Magnussen dangerous, but Perez took the risk
“The question is not so much why Magnussen was not punished because he is evil. But rather: Who is to blame for what?” Christian Danner clarifies. “Magnussen is of course partly to blame because he aggressively went to a place where he wanted to overtake.” Postscript: “Dangerous. But his right.”
“He said: ‘Okay, my dear, I’m going to cut you off.’ That’s how the collision happened,” Danner explains in the current issue of the ‘AvD Motorsport Magazine’. “So if you look at it honestly and objectively, both drivers are to blame.” So both drivers should have been punished – but that’s not possible according to the current Formula 1 sporting regulations.
Fewer racing accidents – more penalties in Formula 1?
The accident was primarily a safety risk – for the other drivers. “The two of them not only caused an accident through their respective behavior, but also a safety problem,” emphasises the motorsport expert. “Hülkenberg had an accident that was not his fault. Zhou drove through all the dirt.”
“Perhaps in the future we should not just say it was a racing accident, but take both of them by the leg and say: My dear friend A and my dear friend B – that is not what we understand by racing,” says Christian Danner. The matter has nothing to do with the stewards’ intention to prevent a possible race ban for Kevin Magnussen. “The stewards are otherwise prepared to impose harsh penalties!”
More from expert Christian Danner on the subject of Monaco, as well as the necessary consequences for the Alpine internal tussle, can be found here in the latest episode of the ‘AvD Motorsport Magazine’: