The 2024 Monaco Grand Prix barely got started before a dramatic turn of events on the first lap. Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez collided at the tight and unforgiving corner sequence between Sainte Devote and Massenet, taking both drivers and Nico Hulkenberg out of the race. The incident caused a red flag as marshals scrambled to repair extensive damage to the barriers.
Magnussen, visibly frustrated, pointed the finger at Perez after the race. “From my viewpoint, I was alongside him [Perez] with a good portion of my car ahead,“ Magnussen stated on Sky Sports. “He just squeezed me towards the wall. When he went that way himself, there was nowhere for me to go, and we made contact.“
The Haas driver believed Perez should have yielded some space considering the corner wasn’t a heavy braking zone. “It’s not a corner where you have to brake for the apex,“ explained Magnussen. “It’s a slight bend on a straight, so there’s room for two cars. He had to leave me a space, but he didn’t.“
This sentiment was echoed in Magnussen’s post-race interview with Viaplay. “I don’t see how this can be my fault,“ he declared. “The rules are clear: you have to leave space when someone is alongside you, and he didn’t.“
The stewards, however, deemed the incident a racing incident, assigning no blame to either driver. This did little to appease Magnussen, who lamented the missed opportunity and the significant cost to his team in terms of repairs.
“It’s unfortunate,“ Magnussen said. “A lot of damage to the car, a lot of work for the guys, and a missed chance for points today.“
The incident not only dashed Magnussen’s hopes for a strong Monaco showing but also shuffled the grid significantly for the restart. With three cars eliminated, the race promised a different dynamic when it finally got back underway.
