Kevin Magnussen’s reputation as a hard-nosed racer is set in stone, but the Haas drivers says that racing in F1’s competitive mid-field leaves him no choice but to take risks.

Magnussen has often been singled out in the past by those who dealt with the Dane’s uncompromising tactics out on the race track.

On Sunday, Toro Rosso’s Pierre Gasly was left fuming, labeling  the Haas driver “the most dangerous guy I ever raced” following a big moment and a high speed contact between the two drivers in Baku.

However, once again, Magnussen refused to make any excuses for his aggressive approach to racing.

“I race hard,” he told Reuters. “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.”

Gasly livid with ‘most dangerous’ Magnussen antics

Admitting his current position in the mid-field justifies his hardline attitude, Magnussen says he would likely change his approach if he ever found himself in apposition to score points at every race.

“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.”

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