ROUND-BY-ROUND (CONTINUED)

11 GERMAN GP, HOCKENHEIM JULY 28

A bonkers race, as is so often the case when the weather plays its part. A flu-stricken (and penalty-earning) Lewis Hamilton, who eventually finished ninth in his Mercedes, described the race as “snakes and ladders” and admitted that Merc hit the snakes with its strategy. Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc threw away his chances, while Max Verstappen (Red Bull) kept his head to win.

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

3 Daniil Kvyat (Toro Rosso)

12 HUNGARIAN GP, HUNGARORING AUGUST 4

Max Verstappen took his career-first pole position and his Red Bull was locked in a fierce duel with Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes throughout. There was some smart thinking on the pitwall from Merc, who stopped Hamilton late to see if he could reel in the Honda-powered car ahead. He managed it and claimed a memorable victory with four laps to go as Verstappen’s Pirellis wilted.

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

3 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

13 BELGIAN GP, SPA SEPTEMBER 1

The pace of the Ferraris was strong in Belgium and Charles Leclerc went from pole position to claim his maiden Formula 1 win. The race was significant as the Italian team threw its weight behind the Monegasque ace after Sebastian Vettel’s scrappy weekend. The German was forced to play tail-gunner, and it worked a treat. Mercedes man Lewis Hamilton closed in, but was thwarted by traffic.

1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

3 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

14 ITALIAN GP, MONZA SEPTEMBER 8

This was the race where Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc cemented his place in the heart of the tifosi, with a dramatic home win under threat from Mercedes man Lewis Hamilton. The 21-year-old fended off the champion (although Hamilton eventually dropped to third), while his Ferrari team-mate Sebastian Vettel had a nightmare: a lap-13 spin and an unsafe rejoin cost him a 10-second penalty. 1 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

3 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

15 SINGAPORE GP,MARINA BAY SEPTEMBER 22

After a nightmare in Italy, Sebastian Vettel bounced back in the best fashion under the floodlights with a superb win – although there was some controversy along the way. His Ferrari team-mate Charles Leclerc held track position, but the Scuderia pitwall decided to stop Vettel first, allowing him to undercut the sister car. Mercedes was struggling with bad strategy calls, which left Lewis Hamilton fourth. 1 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari)

2 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

16 RUSSIAN GP,SOCHI SEPTEMBER 29

The Prancing Horse shot itself in the foot to allow Mercedes ace Lewis Hamilton to grab an unlikely victory. Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel towed ahead of team-mate Charles Leclerc on the first lap in a pre-planned move to thwart Hamilton. It backfired when Vettel’s car broke on lap 26, forcing a virtual safety car and allowing Hamilton an advantageous pitstop. It was all he needed.

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)

17 JAPANESE GP, SUZUKA OCTOBER 13

Sebastian Vettel ruined his Ferrari’s pole start when he crept and had to get on the anchors. That allowed Valtteri Bottas into a lead in his Merc that he would only briefly relinquish during the pitstops. Hamilton was bottled up behind Vettel and could only finish in third position. They fared better than Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, who collided at Turn 2.

1 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 3 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

18 MEXICAN GP, MEXICO CITY OCTOBER 27

Mercedes’s Lewis Hamilton was almost pushed off the road by

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel away from the start. Hamilton’s team pulled him in for an early stop, which consigned him to a mammoth second stint, but the Briton pulled it off in spectacular fashion. It was enough for him to claim the victory, with Vettel just under two seconds behind.

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 2 Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) 3 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes)

19 UNITED STATES GP, CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS NOVEMBER 3

Mercedes had wanted to try a onestop strategy, but when Max Verstappen’s Red Bull stopped early, leader Valtteri Bottas was forced to cover off his rival to maintain his pace and track position. Merc stuck to the one-stop plan with Hamilton, and his tyres wilted late on to allow his teammate to regain first. Second was enough for Hamilton to seal the title. 1 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) 2 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) 3 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

20 BRAZILIAN GP, INTERLAGOS NOVEMBER 17

Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes were off the money in Brazil, but the new world title holder made it to first place when leader Max Verstappen’s Red Bull was held up during its opening pitstop. But the pace of the Honda-powered car swiftly regained the lead and pulled away. A laterace safety car bunched the field up and Hamilton tripped over the Red Bull of

Alex Albon, which earned him a penalty.

1 Max Verstappen (Red Bull)

2 Pierre Gasly (Toro Rosso)

3 Carlos Sainz (Mclaren)

21 ABU DHABI GP,YAS MARINA DECEMBER 1

In one of his most masterful and dominant race performances of the year, Merc’s Lewis Hamilton blasted from pole, set fastest lap and claimed a perfect win in the final round of the year. He had been helped when team-mate Valtteri Bottas was forced to start from the back due to penalties. Max Verstappen’s Red Bull might have put up more of a stern test had it not been for a throttle problem, which dented his pace.

1 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)

2 Max Verstappen (Red Bull) 3 Charles Leclerc (Ferrari)