Magnussen 'has nothing to lose' heading to Abu Dhabi

Kevin Magnussen has promised to go all-out for a big result in the final Grand Prix of the year next weekend at Abu Dhabi.

"We have nothing to lose going into Abu Dhabi," said the Haas driver. "We just have to go for it. It’s going to be exciting.

“It’s been a really good season," he continued. "I’ve had the most fun racing that perhaps I’ve ever had!

"I think we could’ve had a little more to show with a bit more luck, but it’s been a really enjoyable season.

"In terms of results, we could’ve gotten more out of it," he admitted. "I would’ve liked to have had a few more good results. I think they were definitely in the cards, but just didn’t happen for different reasons.

"Performance has been there to score big points on a few occasions, but we’ve missed out due to bad luck or reliability issues."

Magnussen has finished in the points on five occasions this year. His best result was seventh place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

“It’s hard for people to see what progress is being made from the outside," he said. "A lot of the stuff doesn’t pay off straight away.

"A lot of the stuff you improve and develop. It’s about the little steps, and when you do a thousand of them, you make progress and the benefits become visible.

• Steiner: Haas' 2017 points don't show the whole picture

"Each time you make a step, it’s not always visible. I can certainly see from the inside how we’re building up and improving. There’s still a long way to go and I’m happy I’m a part of it."

Magnussen has already been confirmed with a race seat at Haas for 2018. It's the first time in his Formula 1 career that he's had that sort of continuity and security.

"It’s a good feeling going into the season with the team and an idea of a car that I know from a season already. I’m very much looking forward to that," he said. "It’s going to be interesting.

"We’ve designed a strong car. The baseline of our car is very competitive. We just need to try and improve our understanding of the car and our operation of the car.

"[The aim is to] extract the performance out of it in every condition, every temperature and every track."

He's certainly aware that there will be little time fir him to put his feet up over the winter off-season.

“It’s the time of year where you actually work the hardest, at least in terms of your training," he said. "You don’t have any races to prepare for, so you can push yourself a bit more and really build up your fitness over the winter.

"Obviously, it’s nice to get a break from all the travelling, but it doesn’t take long before you start missing racing again."

Gallery: The beautiful wives and girlfriends of F1 drivers

Keep up to date with all the F1 news via Facebook and Twitter