Kevin Magnussen: Sergio Perez “closed the door and I hit the wall” in incident

Haas F1 driver Kevin Magnussen believes that SportPesa Racing Point driver Sergio Perez knows he was in the wrong after their incident during FP2 which saw the Mexican close off the Dane into the wall in Singapore.

During Friday second practice Magnussen and Perez had both been preparing for a hot lap, with the latter in a slightly off position as they both exited the final chicane.
 
The Haas driver had made an attempt at a move around Perez due to him driving slowly but the Mexican “closed the door”, pushing Magnussen into the wall.
 
A reprimand was issued to the SportPesa Racing Point driver after both were summoned to the stewards where they both spoke with Magnussen not wanting to make “a big fuss” about the situation.
 
“We spoke at the stewards,” said Magnussen (quoted by Motorsport.com).
 
“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.
 
“I went on the power and when I was on the side of him he closed the door and I hit the wall.

“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.”

There is a gentlemen’s agree in Formula 1 which some suggested Magnussen broke, but he insists he wouldn’t have gone for the move had Perez not gone off-line.

“You don’t attack the guy in front. But he moves off the line, and you go,” added Magnussen.

“You’re not going to ask, ‘are you sure?’. You go.”