Hulkenberg reminded once again of fierce mid-field battle

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Nico Hulkenberg got another reminder on Sunday that this year's mid-field battle is shaping out to be as competitive and tight as ever.

The Renault driver put in a solid effort Sunday evening in Bahrain and enjoyed a good scrap with Haas' Kevin Magnussen to conclude his day with a sixth place finish.

The German believes he would have been hard pressed to extract anything more from his R.S.18, but was still left a bit disappointed by his inability to beat his rival mid-field runners.

Magnussen 'proud' of Haas and points-scoring finish

"We got the maximum from the race today, which is a good positive," said the Hulk.

"We didn’t quite have the pace to compete with the cars ahead of us and that leaves me a little disappointed, so it’s clear the midfield fight is very close.

"It was a busy race and our main focus was fuel saving whilst still trying to race other cars and I think we managed that quite well tonight."

Team mate Carlos Sainz came home P11 following a struggle late in the race with fuel consumption and degrading soft tyres. For the Spaniard, It all started with a poor start however.

"I was surviving in the end there with very tired Soft tyres and having to do a lot of fuel saving," he said.

"We need to analyse what happened at the start because I had too much wheel spin and from there onwards the race was compromised.

"I was stuck in traffic after both stops and we couldn’t really do a lot from there. It was a tough day to be honest, but luckily China is just around the corner and we will fight our way back to the points."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.