Kevin Magnussen has clarified remarks he made in the media in which he said he was prepared to die in a Formula 1 car.
As reported on The Checkered Flag yesterday, Magnussen had stated that he wouldn’t change his aggressive driving style, despite complaints from rivals, as he was prepared to pay the ultimate price behind the wheel.
Magnussen was quoted as saying “I will die in the car” in an interview with Reuters two days before the 2018 Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The quotes were brought to light following a high-speed clash between Magnussen and Pierre Gasly during the race, for which the Dane was heavily criticised.
“I don’t like compromises. I will give everything,” Magnussen was quoted as saying. “I will die in the car. I won’t hold back.”
Responding to the way those comments had been used by the media and linked with the Gasly incident in Azerbaijan, Magnussen turned to Twitter on Wednesday night to make clear he was sorry for the incident and to clarify his remarks.
“The interview was done before the race in Baku and is not minded on the incident with Pierre in the race,” wrote Magnussen. “I didn’t squeeze Pierre on purpose and have apologised to him many times over the incident.
“I don’t want to die in a race car. I was expressing my willingness to give absolutely everything in my power to achieve success. Success to me obviously isn’t having accidents or getting penalties but finishing races in as high a position as possible.”
Magnussen continued to explain that his determination to succeed in Formula 1 was the reason for his intense commitment.
“I am living my childhood dream of racing in Formula 1 and I’ve put my whole life into achieving that dream,” he said.
“It is only natural for me to be giving absolutely everything I’ve got, to achieve success in racing and the day I no longer do that I will retire from racing immediately.”
