Kevin Magnussen believes midfield drivers need to take more risks in the car compared to front-running drivers because they're not guaranteed to score points and therefore every position counts.
The Danish driver is one of the most aggressive on the track and has been on the end of criticism from several drivers including Nico Hulkenberg, who described Magnussen as "the most unsporting driver" following a clash in Hungary last year, whilst most recently Toro Rosso's Pierre Gasly called him "the most dangerous guy I have ever raced" following a coming together in Azerbaijan at the weekend.
Magnussen is happy to accept he's an aggressive racer though, insisting he has nothing to lose by making a risky overtake if he's outside the points and everything to gain by defending hard if he is.
"I race hard," he told Reuters in an interview conducted pre-Baku. "In a situation like this with a midfield team, you’re not guaranteed to score points. And sometimes you have nothing to lose.
“You might get a penalty, you might lose your front-wing but there’s nothing to lose if you’re 11th. Go for it. Sometimes you have to be a lot more aggressive when you’re fighting out there."
He insists however that were he to find himself in a position where scoring at every race was common, his approach would change.
"If you are fighting for the championship, you have to play the long game," he added. "You have to change your approach. If I was fighting for the championship, you wouldn’t see me racing the same way [I do now]."
Asked about the danger involved in taking such risks, Magnussen says he doesn't think about anything but racing when he's in the car and therefore death is just something that could happen and he's happy to accept that.
"I don’t like compromises," he said. "I will give everything. I will die in the car. I won’t hold back. I would put my life on [the line]. Absolutely.
“When you put your helmet on and you’re in the race, I find that’s just everything there is in the world.
“I love my family, and there’s so many things in life I enjoy, but when I’m in the car there’s nothing else that means anything."
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