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After initiating contact with Pierre Gasly at the Italian Grand Prix, Kevin Magnussen received his twelfth penalty point in a twelve-month period. As a result, he becomes the first driverreceive a suspension since the penalty points system was enacted in 2014. Here are my predictions for the fantasy implications and the replacement for K-Mag at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
Impact to Magnussen
Selected on 21% of teams, Magnussen is slated to score 0 fantasy points at Baku. His driver card will likely switch to Inactive for the week to reflect his absence, and as we saw with Logan Sargeant at Monza an Inactive driver will not lose points for failing to classify in Qualifying or the Grand Prix.
Magnussen leads all drivers with 95 overtakes and $6.6M in value gained. The suspension breaks his streak of six consecutive races at which he gained $0.5M in value.
Kevin's Replacement
Already under agreement to race for Haas in 2025, Ollie Bearman stands out as a substitute. Bearman secured a grid spot for next season after admirably filling in for Carlos Sainz at Jeddah while the Spanish veteran underwent an emergency appendectomy. His P7 result also earned him Driver of the Day honors, 26 fantasy points, and a $1.0M price increase.
Bearman left the grid priced at $15.0M but that was based on driving for a top-3 constructor in Ferrari. The game could create a new driver card for Bearman at Haas with a price resembling K-Mag’s at $12.8M, but if not, reactivating the rookie at $15.0M should immediately turn off fantasy strategists.
Verdict
Since Bearman requires a transfer to select him and another one immediately after Baku to replace him, I recommend bringing in a cheaper midfield driver and using the remaining budget to bolster the top of your lineup (triple McLaren, anyone?). Nico Hulkenberg, Daniel Ricciardo, and Alex Albon remain the top alternatives until Magnussen returns. Magnussen slots back in as a top midfield option for the Singapore Grand Prix.
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