Magnussen: Teams need to return to ‘safe’ pit stops

Kevin Magnussen reckons the FIA doesn’t need to get involved in the spate of pit stop issues, rather teams need to return to a “more safe area”.

Friday’s practice in Shanghai saw yet another bungled pit stop as McLaren released Stoffel Vandoorne without his rear left wheel properly attached.

The team was fined €5,000, a fraction of the €50,000 that Ferrari were hit with last time out in Bahrain when their bungle pit stop led to Kimi Raikkonen breaking a mechanic’s leg.

Those, however, are not the first two incidents of this year. Rather they are the most recent of six.

Fernando Alonso lost a wheel in testing while both Haas drivers retired in Australia due to their rear left tyres not being properly attached while Raikkonen also had an incident in practice at the Sakhir circuit.

Magnussen, though, says it is up to the teams to take action.

“No – teams have to back off and get into a more safe area,” he told Crash.net the FIA needs to take action.

“This is what happens when you have competition – you push the limits and then you find the limit and you go a little bit back.

“The pit stops have become extremely fast now, and now I think we are getting to the limit where they’re difficult to get any faster, so you have to at some point stop pushing to get faster and get just more reliable and safe.”