The woes of McLaren driver Kevin Magnussen continued on Sunday at the Italian Grand Prix, as he continues to make painful progress in his first season in motor racing's top tier, Formula One.
The young Dane was handed a five-second penalty for pushing Valtteri Bottas onto the run-off at the Rettifilio chicane as they fought for fifth place at Monza.
The penalty dropped Magnussen from seventh to tenth, earning him just a solitary point from a race that he started so brilliantly, charging from fifth on the grid to second in a pulsating first lap, where he stayed until lap five.
Not easy at the top
Magnussen admitted to DR that “it hasn’t been easy" lately.
"I don’t really understand their decision," he said.
"There wasn’t any contact. I have to analyse the race and see what I can learn from it."
It is his second penalty in a row.
Just keep smiling
But while he disagreed with the punishment, he tried to take it with humour.
“It’s getting better and better. Last time I got 20 seconds,” joked Magnussen to DR.
During his previous race in Belgium, Magnussen was penalised for forcing Fernando Alonso's Ferrari off the track during a late tussle. The 20-second penalty caused him to fall from sixth to 12th position.
Failing to push Button
The demotion meant that Magnussen’s team-mate Jenson Button finished eighth.
Button is currently seventh in the F1 standings on 72 points, with Magnussen five places back on 38.
Since taking 18 points from his first race, Magnussen has only managed to score 20 in his last 12.
