Magnussen Slams ‘Disrespectful’ Alonso in Monza

A livid Kevin Magnussen hit out at Fernando Alonso following their qualifying clash. According to the Dane, “he ‘laughed in my face’ and ‘thinks he’s a god'”.

Alonso attempted to pass Magnussen round the outside into the first chicane. The incident occurred at the end of Q2 when the pair ended up trading paint. In the process, they ruined each other’s laps as both missed out on the top 10 shootout.

The two-time champion shrugged off the encounter on team radio and aimed derisive comments at Magnussen. Naturally, the Haas driver retaliated against the comments made by the Spaniard.

“I don’t care to speculate why he did it. I think it was just pretty stupid and not necessary,” said Magnussen.

“He thought he could have the perfect slipstream and overtake me. He gained – I don’t know how many tenths – but you gain a lot if you do that.

“But I’m not going to let him pass me, and sacrifice my own lap. No way. I know he thinks he’s a god, but no way.”

Alonso pinpointed Magnussen’s pass on him as the catalyst of the incident. The Haas driver counterattacked, offering his take.

“We were kind of six or eight cars, in a bit of a group,” Magnussen recalled. “And at the exit of Ascari, Fernando was warming his brakes, I think, so not going fast.

“And I’m going fast, so I just cruised past him. But then for some reason he decides to try and accelerate and get close to me, rather than create a gap, as everyone else is doing.

“Obviously he got a perfect slipstream and thought he could overtake into Turn 1 – but I’d rather hang myself.”

“He came to me after qualifying and laughed to my face. Just outright disrespectful. I can’t wait for him to retire.”

Magnussen also commented on the Spaniard’s tendency to compliment himself. “He’s talking about his laps being divine and whatnot.

“He literally thinks he’s a god. It’s pretty amusing.”

Following an investigation, the stewards  ruled that the incident “did not specifically constitute unnecessary impeding by either driver”.

“If you impede someone while you’re on a push lap yourself, it’s not impeding apparently,” Magnussen said. “That part is the same as with Kimi [Raikkonen] in France.

“Perhaps something we need to look at. I don’t really mind, as long as it’s the same for everyone, it’s fine.

“It’d be interested to see, if it was the other way [around], how it would be. But [I] can only speculate.”