Now Magnussen admits to 4kg weight gain

Kevin Magnussen has admitted he put on weight over the winter.

The Dane is just the latest driver to admit to bulking up ahead of the 2019 rule change, whereby the driver plus the seat must weigh at least 80kg.

Lewis Hamilton is visibly bigger, and Magnussen’s Haas teammate Romain Grosjean admits his increase from 69 to 74kg leaves him with a kilo to lose before Australia.

Ekstra Bladet newspaper reveals that Magnussen has put on a similar amount of weight, going from 69 to 73kg.

"Every day I told my trainer how nice it is to feel that improvement," the 26-year-old said.

"When I step on the scales, I have put on four kilos. And it is clear that it really helps."

However, Magnussen admits that he is still struggling to get comfortable in his 2019 Haas car.

"I have a problem with my neck because the headrest pushes my head too far forward," he said. "So I sit in an uncomfortable position during braking.

"With some changes it is far better than last week, but it’s still there."