P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Haas driver Nico Hulkenberg’s team-mate Kevin Magnussen is banned for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Nico Hulkenberg has criticized F1 stewards for their handling of penalties following Kevin Magnussen’s exclusion from the Azerbaijan Grand Prix due to accumulating penalty points. This incident stemmed from a collision with Pierre Gasly at the Italian GP, where Magnussen received two penalty points and a 10-second time penalty, leading to his race ban. Hulkenberg advocates for a more lenient approach from stewards towards racing incidents that involve minor contact, suggesting the current penalty system be reassessed. While acknowledging the importance of the penalty point system for extreme cases, Hulkenberg emphasized the need to allow drivers to race competitively without constant fear of penalties hampering their performance. He highlighted the potential negative impact on racing excitement if every minor incident results in penalties, underscoring the importance of finding a balance between enforcing safety and allowing competitive racing.
