Haas driver Kevin Magnussen has been hit with a three-place grid penalty for the Belgian Grand Prix. The Dane was found guilty of impeding Ferrari driver Charles Leclerc, who ultimately wound up on pole position by virtue of Max Verstappen's grid drop for a Red Bull gearbox change. Magnussen had run wide at the 'no-name' corner midway through the lap before rejoining and holding up the Monégasque. The penalty will see him drop from 13th to 16th on the grid for Sunday's Grand Prix, though Magnussen will have the chance to make amends in Saturday's Sprint. The stewards' report explained: "Magnussen left the track at Turn 9 and made contact with the wall. He then rejoined and drove the dry line. "Leclerc, who was on a fast lap, caught Magnussen who did not give way until turn 16. "Magnussen explained that he did not feel it was safe to move off onto the wet at speed and give room to Leclerc, particularly in the turns between 11 and 15. "The Stewards observed that he did not receive a warning from his team that Leclerc was behind until Leclerc was right behind him at turn 10. "The team also told him to push, as he needed to make it to the line to get another lap. "Whether it was his failure to slow and yield following his accident, or whether it was the team’s failure to give information early enough that he could have pulled off earlier, or whether it was the instruction to push through the lap; in any case the "Stewards determine that he unnecessarily impeded Leclerc."
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