2018 Season

Lewis Hamilton secured the Drivers’ Championship, driving for Mercedes, in a season comprising 21 races. Mercedes also claimed the Constructors’ Championship, finishing with 655 points and 11 wins. The season featured five different race winners: Hamilton (11), Sebastian Vettel (5), Daniel Ricciardo (2), Max Verstappen (2), and Kimi Räikkönen (1).

The championship battle was closely contested in the first half of the season. Vettel led after the opening rounds, with a maximum gap of 17 points over Hamilton after round 2. The lead exchanged several times; after round 4, Hamilton moved ahead, but Vettel regained the lead after round 7 and 9. By round 10, Vettel held an 8-point advantage. However, from round 11, Hamilton overtook Vettel in the standings and steadily increased his lead. The gap widened significantly in the latter part of the season, reaching 88 points by the final round.

Hamilton’s performance included 17 podiums and 11 pole positions. Notably, he won from 14th on the grid at the German Grand Prix. The Constructors’ battle mirrored the drivers’ contest, with Ferrari challenging Mercedes until mid-season before Mercedes pulled ahead decisively.

The season was marked by high reliability demands and several retirements due to collisions and mechanical issues. Within the context of the turbo-hybrid era, 2018 represented a competitive start before Mercedes established clear dominance in both championships in the closing stages. No record-breaking achievements are indicated in the provided data.