Magnussen: Perez knows he was in the wrong in F1 Singapore GP clash

Kevin Magnussen thinks Formula 1 rival Sergio Perez knows he was at fault for their clash in Singapore Grand Prix practice and has rejected the suggestion he broke a gentleman's agreement

Perez suggested Magnussen had not stuck to an unwritten rule between F1 drivers in second practice on Friday, after Magnussen tried to pass Perez exiting the final chicane before the double-left hander that ends the lap as both were completing outlaps.

Magnussen was squeezed into the wall, and Perez was subsequently reprimanded as the stewards determined he had driven "unnecessarily slowly, erratically or in a manner which could be deemed potentially dangerous to other drivers".

Magnussen said: "We spoke at the stewards. We spoke a little bit afterwards, because one thing is what he said at the stewards, and one thing is what I think is the...truth.

"I don't care. I don't want to make a big fuss, and I'm not going to appeal too much to the stewards for a penalty for something that happened in practice and had no real consequence."

Perez had been made aware he had Magnussen "directly behind" on his outlap but had slowed right down because the Mercedes of Valtteri Bottas was going slowly ahead, which bottled Magnussen up.

Though Magnussen was told the "gap is fine behind" he remained very close to Perez through the chicane because he was wary of being caught by another car if he backed off significantly himself.

When they exited the corner and Perez moved off-line, Magnussen thought "he was pitting, or letting me by, or something".

"I went on the power, and when I was on the side of him he closed the door and I hit the wall," said Magnussen.

"I don't know what was his perspective, I don't know if he went off-line by accident because he was focusing on something else or whatever.

"But he did go off the line. I just stayed on the line and went on power to start the lap and got pushed into the wall."

Regarding the gentleman's agreement, Magnussen acknowledged it exists and said: "you don't attack the guy in front".

He said he would not have tried to overtake Perez had he not gone off-line to pass him.

"But he moves off the line, and you go," added Magnussen. "You're not going to ask, 'are you sure?'. You go."

shares
comments

Bottas: Mercedes F1 car not "100%" right after Singapore FP1 crash

F1 taking car safety lessons for 2020 from fatal F2 crash

Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season

Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Qatar GP
Matt Kew

Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season Why a Qatar sprint race coronation for Verstappen befits a dull 2023 F1 season

F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas

F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Qatar GP
Oleg Karpov

F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas F1 folk: The 'lucky' engineer who guided Grosjean and helped build Haas

The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team

The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Damien Smith

The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team The salvation story behind Benetton's emergence as an F1 team

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Damien Smith

Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers Ranking the top 10 Benetton F1 drivers

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Belgian GP
GP Racing

When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle When Mansell and Senna settled their differences in an F1 pitlane scuffle

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Jonathan Noble

The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold The F1 treasure map where Hamilton hopes Mercedes hits gold

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
Japanese GP
Alex Kalinauckas

The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose The two F1 rules problems Perez’s recent mishaps expose

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

How football has posed difficult questions for F1

Plus
Plus
Formula 1
GP Racing

How football has posed difficult questions for F1 How football has posed difficult questions for F1

Subscribe