"At least I was able to help Nico Hulkenberg": Kevin Magnussen reflects on a penalty-ridden race weekend in Jeddah

Kevin Magnussen believes the penalties imposed on him during the Saudi Arabian GP were fair. He said they allowed him to help his teammate Nico Hulkenberg score points in the race.

Speaking to Sportskeeda, the Haas driver explained that the penalties put on him were due to his contact with Alex Albon and for overtaking Yuki Tsunoda unfairly.

Kevin Magnussen was first given a ten-second penalty after he made contact with Albon early on in the race. Overtaking Tsunoda by leaving the track and gaining an advantage added another 20 seconds to the Danish drivers’ lap time.

After his pitstop, the 31-year-old backed everyone into a pack, forming a DRS train behind him, resulting in a gap behind his teammate Hulkenberg and drivers who could have seriously challenged him.

At a circuit like Jeddah where there’s little room for overtaking, backing the quicker cars into a pack stopped them from being able to finish in the top 10. Hulkenberg was thankful to Kevin Magnussen and felt it was the only reason he managed to score his first point of the season.

Asked by Sportskeeda if the penalties were fair, Kevin Magnussen said:

“Yeah, rules are rules. The first one we had contact with Albon, I didn't mean to. But they gave a penalty for that. Fair enough, I think. The second one, I overtook Tsunoda and went outside the track, so rules are rules. I'm not happy with myself to get those two penalties. But at least I was able to help the team to create a gap for Nico to pit and get a point. So we showed good pace today and we showed good teamwork so at least that's some really good positives to bring forward.”

Asked how difficult it was to keep the cars backed up behind him, the Dane replied:

“Yeah it was tough but glad we managed to do it and glad we got a point. It's a tight battle between the five teams at the back. I think from P6 down to 10, it's a real championship. So every point matters. And yeah, I'm really happy for the team and happy where we pulled it off.”

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Kevin Magnussen believes the penalties could have been avoided

After receiving two penalties of a total of 30 seconds, Kevin Magnussen believes that they could have been avoided. The Haas driver said he failed to drive between the wide lines, something he should avoid in the future as he had been a driver who didn't get penalized often.

Asked if he knew he would need to hold up drivers behind him during the race at any point, Kevin Magnussen said:

“Yeah, and I mean, I tried to keep it within the wide lines. I didn't succeed, unfortunately, but at the end of the day, I'm really happy for it. At the end of the day, it is what it is, I need to do a better job and avoid those penalties. I don't usually get too many of them. but today I got two, so that's not a good day on that front, but I showed really good pace. And good teamwork.”

Asked about the timing of the penalties and if they seemed harsh, he said:

“It's a bit harsh. I don't know. It's a bit harsh, but we'll look at it.”

While it's still early in the season, Haas are now sixth in the championship. Their counterparts such as Williams, Sauber, RB, and Alpine are yet to score a point.

Haas's experienced driver lineup makes a lot of difference as it helps a back-marker team like them to capitalize on every opportunity available in the season to gather points. Kevin Magnussen eventually finished 12th despite the sleuth of penalties slapped on him.