Steiner says Magnussen has to "ruffle feathers"
- Published on 17 Aug 2018 10:51
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- By: Fergal Walsh
Haas team principal Guenther Steiner has once again defended his driver against criticism that the Dane drives too aggressively. Magnussen has built up a reputation of being the sport's 'bad boy' and has often been unyielding when it comes to wheel-to-wheel combat.
Some of Magnussen's fellow F1 drivers have criticised his style, with Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly labelling him as the "most dangerous driver" he's raced against in his career. However, Steiner says that in order to succeed, you must sometimes play rough.
"We want him to race," he stated. "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'."
And Steiner believes that Magnussen is driving within the rules, as he has accumulated fewer penalty points than many of his rivals. The 26-year-old currently has three points on his licence, while Gasly has four and teammate Romain Grosjean seven.
"Everybody plays the game here, and you need to," Steiner said. "That creates more criticism [from] established drivers: 'Is this young guy coming and wanting to tell me, I cannot get past? I will bitch about it!' I'm not critiquing other drivers, they try their best to knock his confidence," he added. "But they don't achieve it."
Fergal Walsh
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Replies (13)
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Posts: 1,874
A big accident involving Magnussen is waiting to happen!
Lotus4Ever
Posts: 26
Couldn't agree more
pdolm
Posts: 5
Verstappen are more agressive on the track than anybody else, but gets away with it every time. Even when he took out his own team mate nothing happend. If magnussen had done the same to RIC he would have been penalized big time.
The only reason Alonso haven't been bitching about Verstappen is that he never have had the chance to race with him so far this year because the McLaren car is to bad.
NEXT SPARE VAMP
Posts: 1,874
Mind you: it was Ricciardo who took out Verstappen at Baku. Not the other way around!
You sound very much like a jealous guy from Danmark...
pdolm
Posts: 5
That's your opinion. VER changes position to the right and then to the left, and then they crashed. Drivers are only allowed to change position once.
Jealous about what?. I just like the penalties to be equal for all drivers.
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
@PDOLM First of all, I wouldn't say Max gets "away with it" totally. He was heavily criticized this year, even discounted as no longer being top talent. He has gotten penalized too, and he has whined a lot too. But I would say the comparison as not totally crazy. Magnussen has been a disaster at times and if anything, I think Kevin has gotten away with quite a bit without being penalized. Magnussen is definitely talented, but that out-of-control aggression that Steiner speaks of is the main reason Magnussen is repairing his reputation instead of padding it right now. Kevin is having a great season on average, if he can keep it clean it will be remembered more for his driving and his speed than crashing or causing crashes.
calle.itw
Posts: 8,527
I agree with AJPP. Kevin is no doubt talented, as we can see by him outright embarrassing Grosjean, but all of that talent is wasted if he doesnt cool down a tad.
Lotus4Ever
Posts: 26
Couldn´t agree more - to the article - NOT to @NEXT SPARE VAMP --- it will likely be Verstappen that makes the next big crash......
mcbhargav
Posts: 1,332
I wonder why Perez, Ocon, and Sainz are never involved in trash driving?
michielhimself
Posts: 132
You didn't see or forgot Spa Francorchamps 2017?
ajpennypacker
Posts: 2,475
Oh please... Magnussen's antics do nothing to build respect or a good reputation on the grid. He's built that this year by driving well and not crashing or causing crashes. The only criticism people have of him is when he gets out-of-control aggressive, and Steiner is trying to extol that as a virtue? LOL. I think Magnussen is one solid season away from consideration for a better seat, but he has to go a while without those stupid unnecessary aggressive moves that cause accidents, punctures, and penalties.
websurfer
Posts: 52
All that b....it about Magnussens agressive driving style. Kevin is absolutely driving very well this season, and he is rarely going too far with agressive driving. Fact is that Magnussen doesn't want to be bullied by other drivers, who think they can spoil his self-self-confidence by yelling. They know he is a rising star and a serious competitor. But one thing is for sure, they won't succeed in holding back Kevin. He is for the first time enjoying racing right now in a good team.
f1ski
Posts: 726
Couldn't agree more. Don't defend your line, let someone by everytime they appear in the mirror you are a back marker. Lewis is very aggressive. He places the car so either you move over or he moves you over. Magnussen isn't that subtle.