Magnussen looking to win 'best of the rest' title

It has been common knowledge for a long time now that nobody from outside the top three teams is getting anywhere near the top six in the drivers’ standings this year, which has led Haas driver Kevin Magnussen to aim for the unofficial title as the ‘best of the rest’ teams.

Seventh position in the drivers’ standings is currently held by Renault’s Nico Hulkenberg, who leads Magnussen by seven points, but the Dane is hoping to reel in Hulkenberg in the second half of the season.

Such is the gap between the top three teams and the rest of the gird, sixth place Max Verstappen has over double the number of points scored by Hulkenberg.

"I'm kind of creating this big championship in my head," Magnussen told Motorsport.com. "I know it doesn't exist, but in my head, it's something to motivate myself with.

"I've let go of those top three teams, I'm not worried about that, but we are in an even fight with the two or three other teams in the midfield and that fight is something that I really want to win."

Magnussen is having his best season in Formula One this year, looking set to eclipse his 55 points tally from his debut season with McLaren in 2014, having scored 45 already in 2018.

However, he still wants more: "I haven't had any kind of winning emotions for all the time that I've been in F1.

"When I finished third but got second in Australia in my first race, I still didn't have those kind of winning emotions, it was just a third.

"Now I've been able to focus on this big championship that I have created in my mind and when I beat the other guys, I get the same emotions [as winning].

"I don't care about the big three teams, they're in a different league.

"When I get in front of all the midfield teams, I get those kinds of emotions and that's hugely motivating."