Overaggressiveness in last weekend’s Monaco GP is the latest in a series of incidents. Will these two continue to drive for their respective teams?
We know that motor racing is dangerous, and sometimes, drivers can get overaggressive. This happens in Formula One, of course, and Haas F1’s Kevin Magnussen and Alpine’s Esteban Ocon are known as two of the sport’s most aggressive drivers.
Kevin Magnussen (photo courtesy Autosport)
On the one hand, Magnussen is the most successful driver since the American team entered the sport (2016), winning the pole in last season’s qualifying at the Brazilian Grand Prix for the sprint race. This is his last season is the last year under contract with Haas, and Magnussen wants to remain on the team, claiming he has “unfinished business.”
The problem is when other drivers get in Magnussen’s way. An example is what happened last weekend in Monaco when Magnussen came two points shy of being suspended for one race. It happened when he tried to pass to the right of Red Bull’s Sergio Perez but collided with him instead, sending Perez’s car spinning as it lost everything except the monocoque. That incident also collected his Haas F1 teammate Nico Hulkenberg, spinning him out of the race.
Esteban Ocon (photo, Sports Illustrated)
Ocon’s path to Formula One is a story by itself. Driving in karts, Ocon’s parents had to put up their house to pay for events. Luckily, that move paid off, and Ocon made it all the way to racing’s big league. But now there, he has earned a reputation for aggressive driving. For example, he cut off Perez at Spa, took out Red Bull’s Max Verstappen at Interlagos when he was being lapped, and he also collided with Gasly at Albert Park. Last week in Monaco, Ocon crossed the path and struck Pierre Gasly, making his car go airborne, breaking off the axles, and putting Gasley out of the race.
It hasn’t been a great year for Alpine, and it is unclear if Ocon will race in Canada next week, especially the way Team Manager Bruno Famin said after the Monaco GP that Ocon would face “consequences.” That suggests Ocon’s future is in a waiting pattern, and it won’t be surprising if this year is his last year driving for Alpine.
It will be interesting to watch what happens next, and that’s one of many reasons to see what happens in the upcoming AWS Canadian Grand Prix (June 7-9).
