Kevin Magnussen claims Nyck de Vries’ on-track clashes sign of ‘desperation’ to save Alpha Tauri seat

Kevin Magnussen hit out at Nyck de Vries' recent clashes as a last-ditch effort by the Dutch driver to secure his F1 career.

Kevin Magnussen claims Nyck de Vries’ on-track clashes sign of ‘desperation’ to save Alpha Tauri seat

Kevin Magnussen (image via PlanetF1), Nyck de Vries (image via Autosport)

Nyck de Vries is under pressure to perform in his rookie season at Alpha Tauri. The Dutch driver struggled to make a mark in the first few rounds of the season and is at risk of losing his driver. The 28-year-old has now had two back-to-back clashes with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen. The latter has now claimed that de Vries’s incidents result from last-ditch efforts to secure his F1 seat.

De Vries and Magnussen first came together at the Canadian GP in a hard-fought battle, with the Alpha Tauri locking up at turn 3. Though, Kevin Magnussen had not blamed the Dutchman for this incident. At the Austrian GP, the Haas driver was pushed out into Turn 4 by the 28-year-old to secure his position. Nyck de Vries was given a five-second time penalty for this incident.

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Magnussen commented on this incident after the race. The Danish driver insisted that this could be a result of desperation on behalf of de Vries to secure his future in the sport. Red Bull is prepared to replace the Dutch driver. The Haas driver said, “I guess, racing for his future. Maybe in a bit of a desperate situation so nothing I can say really. He got a penalty, it is what it is.”

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Nyck de Vries hits out at race control for inconsistencies

The incident between Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries at the Austrian GP (image via The Race)
The incident between Kevin Magnussen and Nyck de Vries at the Austrian GP (image via The Race)

The 28-year-old is on the brink of losing his seat on the Faenza-based team. Yet, after the race, de Vries reaffirmed that the clash with Magnussen was hard racing between the two drivers. Although the Dutchman had no problems taking the penalty served by the stewards for this incident. Though this could further hamper his prospects.

The former Formula E world champion claimed that there are inconsistencies in terms of policing such incidents. De Vries went on to mention that such clashes take place regularly, including with drivers such as Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz but these are reviewed differently. He said, “They happen with Yuki [Tsunoda] and [Guanyu] Zhou, with Max [Verstappen] and Carlos [Sainz], they happen all the time. each situation is judged slightly differently and it’s not so black and white.”

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Thus, Kevin Magnussen feels that Nyck de Vries is desperate to get results to save his F1 career. However, the Dutch driver insists he was racing hard against the Haas. Fans will be looking forward to the next on-track battle between the two drivers if they can go head-to-head at the British GP next week.

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