Nyck de Vries has been issued the first penalty points of his Formula 1 career following his scuffle with Kevin Magnussen at the Austrian Grand Prix.
Midway through the race, the duo were battling for position outside of the points.
Magnussen attempted to overtake de Vries around the outside of Turn 6, but was pushed wide and into the gravel trap.
The stewards judged that “from the apex of Turn 6, Car 20 [Magnussen] was on the outside and was clearly level and then in front of Car 21 [de Vries].
“In accordance with the Driving Standards Guidelines, Car 20 should have been given racing room.”
De Vries was hit with a five-second time penalty, as well as two penalty points on his F1 Super Licence.
Any driver that acquires 12 points in a 12-month period is issued a race ban.
“We happen to like each other when it comes to meeting each other on the track,” de Vries said.
“I think it was hard racing, I’ll take the penalty. It’s not my entitlement to judge on that.
“The stewards gave me a penalty and we took them. Thankfully for us we made a sufficient gap to not lose any positions
“Each situation is judged slightly differently, it’s not so black and white. Obviously, we understand the rules but you’ve got to push to the limit of the rules to make sure you don’t lose out.
“Sometimes you go beyond and sometimes you undershoot.”
De Vries is driving under added pressure amid questions about his future in Formula 1.
The Dutchman has been publicly criticised by Red Bull advisor Dr Helmut Marko for his performances during the first half of the 2023 campaign.
Magnussen suggested that de Vries’ situation led to his aggressive driving style in Austria.
“He got a penalty, he did push me off,” he said.
“He is, I guess, racing for his future and maybe in a bit of a desperate situation, so nothing I can say really. He got a penalty, so it is what it is.”
