Formula 1: 2018 mid-season awards

Most improved driver: Kevin Magnussen, Haas

Without question, 2018 has been Kevin Magnussen’s best year in Formula 1, and that includes a somewhat underrated yet tough first season at McLaren in 2014 when the Dane secured a podium finish in his debut and scored in 12 of the season’s 19 races.

The major push behind Haas’ move into fifth place in the constructor standings is the 25-year old, who has scores points in seven races so far this season. He has scored 45 of his team’s 66 points, and his four top six finishes have propelled him to eighth in the driver standings .

Save for a faulty wheel gun in the Australian Grand Prix, which forced Magnussen to retire from fourth place, he could very well have come into the summer break in seventh in the driver standings, several points clear of Nico Hulkenberg with the “best of the rest” title in hand over his favorite German driver.

Regardless, after many have consistently and fairly questioned whether the enigmatic Scandinavian was good enough for Formula 1, he has finally solidified himself as one of the top drivers in the mid-pack, and he has a very real chance of out-scoring his career-high point total (81), by the end of 2018.

Perhaps aided by a horrendous run of luck from teammate Romain Grosjean, Magnussen enjoys a commanding lead the intra-Haas battle, qualifying ahead of the veteran Frenchman for nine races and finishing higher than him in eight races.

The Danish driver should not remain officially out of contract for very long considering his magnificent form with Haas and the fact that he stands as the clear-cut candidate for the title of “most improved” driver. The American outfit seemingly have little choice but to re-sign him as they continue their climb up the grid.

Honorable mention: Lastname

Honestly, no other drivers have stand out anywhere near as much as Kevin Magnussen does in this category. At a push, cases, albeit significantly weaker, could be made for most of the mid-pack.

Carlos Sainz Jr. continues to earn decent points (30) following his move from Toro Rosso to Renault. He has made 11 appearances in the third round of qualifying, but he has fallen from ninth to 11th place in the driver standings. He trails teammate Nico Hulkenberg by 22 points and has finished behind him in seven of the 12 races that have been contested so far this season.

Similarly, whilst the German is heading towards his highest finish in the standings (seventh – previously ninth with Force India in 2014 and 2016), it has more or less been on the back of Renault’s development as opposed to a substantial improvement in his driving. That is not a knock on Hulkenberg by any means, but he was already one of the most talented drivers in the field and nothing has changed.

Force India’s financial struggles have made it almost impossible for Esteban Ocon to build on an underrated and outstanding 2017 season when the Frenchman finished in the points in every race except for the races Monaco and Brazil en route to an eight place finish in the driver standings.

That said, despite a one-point deficit to teammates Sergio Perez, the 21-year-old is comprehensively winning the teammate fight, as he has outqualified him for nine of the 12 races so far this season, and he has finished ahead of him in seven of the 11 races during which both drivers were not forced to retire.

Elsewhere, Fernando Alonso has a better McLaren this year, but he is still Fernando Alonso.