Kevin Magnussen was declared fit to race in Italy. He passed the mandatory fitness test this morning after his really heavy crash in Spa a couple of days ago.
Magnussen lost control of his car through the Eau Rouge corner and flew backwards into the tyre barrier on lap six. The 23-year-old driver managed to get out of the car. Fortunately he only had a bruised ankle after the incident, which happened at almost 290 km/h.
The race was stopped while the marshals repaired the tyre wall. Magnussen was taken to hospital in Verviers. An X-ray there revealed he had suffered no broken bones.
“I’m feeling much better, which is very good news. I’ve had several checks that show I am fit to race in Monza. We were running in the top 10 in Belgium and I’m very motivated to repeat this again in Italy”, Kevin Magnussen said on Tuesday.
Kevin Magnussen before the Italian Grand prix
First and foremost, how are you after the accident in Spa?
I’m feeling OK, thanks. It was a big crash and I was sore but fortunately had nothing worse than a bruised ankle. I’ve had some more checks in Denmark and am working with my physio to keep fit. I feel I’m ready to race in Monza. The FIA will of course have the final word but I really want to and I’m confident that by then it will be fine.
Monza is one of the classic tracks on the calendar. What do you think makes it so special?
There are many reasons, but I think that the fact it has so much history makes it a special event.
The track is unique as well, with very long straights and slow corners
It does have some high speed corners that are a challenge too, so it’s just really cool. Added to that you have one of the best atmospheres of the season.
Have you been to see the old track?
It is definitely really cool to see and so different to what we know in F1 today. Back then they were racing on an oval track with massive banking in cars that were so basic and so fast without any seatbelts! It is really special to see and stand on it and feel the atmosphere. It’s one of those things where it’s really hard to imagine how it must have felt – when you watch Le Mans now you can imagine how it must feel as the track is not so different, but when you see videos from Monza back then you cannot absorb how it must have been – everything was so different.
Talking now about your history at the track – how have you done at Monza in the past?
In all honesty it’s not been the best track for me but it has been ok.
I have had podiums in nearly everything I’ve driven but never won there, so clearly we need to fix that!
Monza is the second high-speed track in a row after Spa. Performance in Belgium steadily built over the weekend and in qualifying it all came together for the best session of the year. Do you think you can keep that going in Italy?
Belgium was good and we did improve over the weekend. Italy is another track and while it does have some of the same characteristics it’s not exactly the same. What we have learnt is that we have to take each circuit as it comes and react to the situation you find yourself in. I expect it will be hot again too, so I need to stay focussed. You can’t really prepare for the heat – you just need to stay hydrated and stay in the shade.
Will you be indulging in some pizza or pasta over the weekend?
I love Italy, but this weekend I will have to stay away from pizza. I’ll stick to the pasta, caprese and carpaccio, thank you!
