“It’s bulls**t,” Kevin Magnussen hits out at the FIA over Austrian GP track limits drama

The 2023 Austrian GP was riddled with track limit violations. Drivers had over 100 lap times deleted throughout the weekend. Moreover, In the race on Sunday, only two out of the 20 drivers escaped any penalties for exceeding track limits, George Russell and Fernando Alonso. Haas’ Kevin Magnussen has slammed the stewards for how this situation was handled at the Red Bull Ring.

The Danish driver was far from happy with how track limits were policed in Austria. Magnussen was one of the ten drivers who were given time penalties for violating the same during the race. The 30-year-old expressed frustration after the race as he hit out at race control. He said, “It’s a fun track, but it’s bulls**t when it’s like that.”

The Haas driver mentioned that such limits force drivers to extract less out of the car as they have to ensure they stay within the white line. The Danish driver believed that natural limits could work more effectively at the Red Bull Ring to keep drivers from gaining an unfair advantage. Kevin Magnussen stated, “It ruins the whole thing. You can’t push. It’s better when there’s just a natural limit. I actually think this track does have a natural limit, with these low cars and these big curves.”

Discover: Who has led the most consecutive laps in F1?

Kevin Magnussen urgers FIA for a better solution for track limits

Most of the track limit fiasco took place in the final two corners of the circuit. Though, Magnussen believed that the interpretation of track limits was unnecessary as drivers would be forced to stay within the last corner or risk losing time. This could be a natural way of enforcing limits at the Red Bull Ring without strict policing.

Lastly, Magnussen expressed his confidence in the FIA to find more effective solutions to solve this issue. He said, “I know that the FIA is looking at a better solution.” The Austrian GP race results were changed hours after the race, with stewards penalizing eight more violations after Aston Martin challenged the race results for the same.

Thus, Kevin Magnussen has made it clear that he does not like the current way of enforcing track limits. The Haas driver insists on finding a more natural way to rectify this issue, especially at the Red Bull Ring. However, it remains to be seen how the FIA manages this situation to prevent a repeat of such a Grand Prix in the future.

In case you missed it:

• George Russell admits that Lando Norris’ pace was a ‘big surprise’ for Mercedes at the Austrian GP
• Sergio Perez blasts the track limit drama in Austrian GP, calls it an ‘absolute joke’

Stay Updated!

Join our newsletter to receive exclusive updates and curated insights directly to your inbox.

Subscribe NOW