"There was sound reason": F1 pundit argues that not all red flags in the 2023 F1 Australian GP were brought out for entertainment purposes

F1 pundit Ted Kravitz supported the decision to red flag the 2023 F1 Australian GP race three times. The first red flag was flown due to gravel on the track after Alex Albon's crash. The second red flag came out when Kevin Magnussen hit the wall and lost the right rear tire. The third red flag soon came out after the second restart, when both Alpine cars crashed into each other.

Speaking on the Sky Sports F1 podcast, Kravitz initially stated that he understands why several fans are thinking that the first red flag was not necessary and was simply to increase the entertainment value of the race. However, he later denied it by stating how there was metal along with other debris, which could be dangerous for other cars, even if they are under safety cars. He said:

"I can understand what people are thinking in terms of, you know, are we sure we're going to do this just because and is it based on previous events, but I don't actually [think so]. I think, on this case, there were sound reasons for red flag, certainly red flag number two and three."

The F1 pundit further explained how there was a lot of debris on the track, especially after the Magnussen and Alpine crashes. He emphasized how metal on the track is more dangerous than carbon fiber and gravel; hence, all the red flags were justified. He concluded:

"There was a lot of stuff that needed an awful lot of clearing up, and metal both from the Alpine Carnage and the Magnuson tire wheel rim, it was wheel rim debris; it wasn't just the carbon fiber; it was metal on the track. So that can be dangerous. Carbon fiber, a bit of gravel, you know, you could argue maybe in the past we haven't needed red flags for that, but lots of metal on the track..."

---

Kevin Magnussen 'didn't even feel' the impact after hitting the wall in the 2023 F1 Australian GP

Kevin Magnussen clipped the wall in turn 2 on the 54th lap, which essentially broke the rim of the rear right wheel and eventually caused the tire to come out of the wheel barrel. However, while speaking to the media, he stated that he did not even feel the impact when he first clipped the wall. He said:

"I didn’t even feel it, so it definitely wasn’t something that felt big in the car. But it was enough to crack the rim and take the tire off. Unfortunate – we were in P12, so at the time it didn’t look like we would be able to score points. So, not my day, and it seemed like again, the car seemed to have decent pace, so I’m encouraged by that, and we’ll push next time."

The F1 driver further summed up his race and explained how points were not on the table since he was 12th.