Haas boss Guenther Steiner has demanded Kevin Magnussen be given more respect by his rivals in 2019.
The Dane came under criticism last year for his aggressive driving style, most notably in Japan where Charles Leclerc slammed him after the pair clashed at Suzuka.
Related: Haas Chief Not In Favour Of Third Car Idea
Steiner was quick to defend Magnussen at the time and maintains that the comments were blown out of all proportion.
Ahead of the new season, the team boss has called for patience regarding the 26-year-old, adding that the fact he only has two penalty points shows he is not as bad as perceived.
“Let’s put that one right: he is the guy with the least penalties,” said Steiner. “It’s like I think he got somehow such a bad rep and the perception is out there he’s this guy which is just wild.
Which is wrong. Because look at the statistics. “We must be objective. Not subjective. Objective is how many penalties has he got or not.”
