KEVIN MAGNUSSEN

I don't see myself as a tough person off the track, I see myself as friendly, open and calm.

I think about F1 all the time... it's just my passion.

I'm not getting penalised for pushing, I'm penalised for going over the limit of what's legal and what's within the rules.

In Malaysia, with my dad, the only time I really spent time with him was when we had dinner back at the hotel, in the room, just me and him. That was good, to have him there, just before going to bed, to have a chat.

I was a welder for about three or four months, and I was lucky enough to get out of it because there was a guy who wanted to support me and pay for my racing.

It's no secret that I live in Woking and I go to the MTC every day. So I've spent every available day working - either with my engineers, with the team management, or with the trainers at MTC; building those relationships, getting to grips with the car, the style of driving, the cockpit and control systems, and improving my fitness.

You never reach a point where you feel completely 'ready' - there's always more you can do. But I think every team and driver is going to be feeling uncertain going into the pre-season.

F1 has been my dream since I was a kid. I am here. That feeling of having achieved that and a step in my life's dream of winning the championship - there is no way I wouldn't work extremely hard - I put the time in.

If you're in P10 and you're getting caught from behind from P11 or the other way round... there's that one point to gain... and there's not really a lot to lose.

I don't look at social media, I have some people who look after it so whenever I want to post anything I send it to those guys so I don't have to look at the apps.

I didn't go to school that much! I was racing go karts and testing nearly every day, so school wasn't the first priority.

I love racing, I love racing everything really - karts, anything - so I do need to keep doing that. But the focus is on Formula One.

I thought I'd become a welder if my racing career ended.

I obviously hope that I can continue my career with McLaren but that might not be possible and if it isn't possible then I need to continue racing.

The way I see it is: You've got to take it to the limit, not over the limit, for sure, but you've got to take it to the limit with your driving style.

I focus on the team and I block out all the outside media stuff, because it's so irrelevant and uncontrollable.

It's frustrating that you only have one or two, maybe three drivers that you can root for who are winning.

One of the things that's really struck me at McLaren is just how much influence you have as a driver - I can test something in the simulator, or we can work on something in the cockpit, and they'll really listen to my input and, the next time you get in the sim, or the mock-up car, it's been changed at your recommendation.

I'm lucky to have very close friends that I've had since childhood.

But amongst the drivers I don't have friends at all. They are not my friends. It would never work to have a friendship, so I don't make any effort to make friends.

I think Stirling Moss represents everything that a racing driver should be and first of all, it's passion.

I am not aiming to be unpopular. I am aiming to get good results, and sometimes you need to stick your elbows out to get those results.

If I had one wish, I would say to be born in the '30s and be young in the '50s and '60s. It hurts my racing heart when I see things so far from what it was back then. I envy those guys so much.

I wouldn't say I am the most popular driver among the drivers, but I don't need to be. What matters to me is the results and what the stewards say.

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.