Steiner defends Magnussen's aggressive style

Kevin Magnussen is renowned as being one of the most cut-throat drivers in the F1 world and now his team boss Gunther Steiner has defended his style.

The Dane has scored 45 points this season and is set to eclipse his previous best total of 55, during his first ever F1 season with McLaren, back in 2014.

Magnussen has gained a reputation in the last few years for giving no quarter to opposition drivers and has been a regular visitor to the stewards’ room, leading Steiner to joke that Magnussen has a season ticket there.

Despite being accused of being a dangerous driver, Magnussen has only retired from one race this season, and that was when his wheel fell off after a botched pit stop in the opener in Australia.

Steiner has now defended his driver, telling Autosport: “We want him to race.

“And sometimes you have to ruffle feathers if you want to get something.

“Nobody gives anything for free here. People say he does it on purpose. No!”

“He wants to make a mark, but he doesn’t drive aggressively. He doesn’t say, ‘I’m going to go aggressive here, I’m not a pushover’.”

Magnussen only has three points on his penalty licence, which shows that the stewards believe that although his driving is hard and he takes no prisoners, it is ultimately fair.

Steiner continued: “Everybody plays the game here, and you need to.

“I’m not critiquing other drivers, they try their best to knock his confidence. But they don’t achieve it.

“A lot of them let go already, because they see there’s no point. He’s not a pushover anymore.”