The midfield teams are always in a scramble to score points. Their drivers are often found battling all over the track to get near the cusp of points. However, after the safety car was called in at the Chinese GP, Kevin Magnussen and Yuki Tsunoda were seen battling each other as the Dane divebombed the latter and ended Tsunoda’s race in a snap.
Sauber was looking in a prime position to score points by the end of the race with Valtteri Bottas. However, the Ferrari engine in the Sauber had a terminal issue which ended the Finn’s race and brought out a safety car on lap 24.
This led to a pitstop scramble which shook up the pecking order and brought Kevin Magnussen within striking distance of Yuki Tsunoda. The 31-year-old had misjudged his braking point and spun the Japanese driver around.
Magnussen triggers Tsunoda's spin at the restart, and Ricciardo is rear-ended by Stroll
— FanCode (@FanCode) April 21, 2024
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.#F1 #ChineseGP #FanCode pic.twitter.com/s9nm2fnRlx
Just four laps later, chaos ensued over the pack even before the restart as Lance Stroll collided with the rear of Daniel Ricciardo‘s VCARB 01. On the other hand, as indicated earlier, Magnussen lunged inside the RB of Tsunoda at the hairpin and gave the latter terminal damage to his car. Both incidents eventually led the RB pair to retire from the race.
Both Danish and Canadian drivers are familiar with a hoist of penalties amassed over the years for their antics. To their dismay, the 2024 Chinese GP has been added to the list where the two drivers have got penalties.
Magnussen and Stroll were handed 10 seconds worth of penalties for their incidents with Tsunoda and Ricciardo. Moreover, after the Canadian was handed the penalty, he was heard saying the following on the radio.
Unbelievable man. Such a joke. Lance Stroll said via Aston Martin team radio
Stewards have handed out three 10-second penalties ⏱️
— Formula 1 (@F1) April 21, 2024
Sargeant: Safety Car infringement
Stroll: Causing a collision
Magnussen: Causing a collision #F1 #ChineseGP
Apart from this, Logan Sargeant was also penalized for a safety car infringement and received 10 seconds worth of penalties. This would bring the American closer to race suspension as the penalty points on his super license are piling up at a rate of knots. After China, the F1 extravaganza will now move to Miami for next month’s 2024 Miami Grand Prix.
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