2018 F1 Season
21 races · Mercedes W09
In 2018, Ferrari again gave Sebastian Vettel a car capable of winning the championship, and for half the season the German kept up a thrilling fight with Lewis Hamilton. At several circuits, the Ferrari was even faster than the Mercedes.
Yet the title ended up being decided by mistakes. The most painful came in Germany: leading his home race in the rain, Vettel spun off and handed the win to Hamilton, a psychological blow he never recovered from. Other errors, like Monza, finished off his chances.
Hamilton, flawless in the key moments, took his fifth world title and matched the five championships of the legendary Juan Manuel Fangio, leaving him behind only Michael Schumacher.
Drivers’ Champion
Lewis Hamilton
Mercedes W09
Constructors’ Champion
Mercedes
21 races
Ver en españolKey moment
«Vettel spins off at Hockenheim in the rain while leading, championship turning point.»
The 2018 grid, car by car
The 10 teams that raced in 2018, ordered by how good we rate the car. It is our own judgement, not an official figure: what it is worth is that the same yardstick is applied to every season since 1988, so you can compare eras.
| # | Team | Our rating | Drivers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mercedes | 98 | Lewis Hamilton · Valtteri Bottas |
| 2 | Ferrari | 96 | Sebastian Vettel · Kimi Räikkönen |
| 3 | Red Bull | 91 | Max Verstappen · Daniel Ricciardo |
| 4 | Renault | 82 | Carlos Sainz · Nico Hulkenberg |
| 5 | Haas | 80 | Kevin Magnussen · Romain Grosjean |
| 6 | Force India | 78 | Sergio Perez · Esteban Ocon |
| 7 | McLaren | 78 | Fernando Alonso · Stoffel Vandoorne |
| 8 | Toro Rosso | 73 | Pierre Gasly · Brendon Hartley |
| 9 | Sauber | 70 | Charles Leclerc · Marcus Ericsson |
| 10 | Williams | 65 | Lance Stroll · Sergey Sirotkin |
How 2018 actually ended
The official final standings, from the Australian Grand Prix to the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. This is the real result; the simulation is further down.
| Driver | Points | Wins | Podiums | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 408 | 11 | 17 | 11 |
| 2Sebastian VettelFerrari | 320 | 5 | 12 | 5 |
| 3Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | 251 | 1 | 12 | 1 |
| 4Max VerstappenRed Bull | 249 | 2 | 11 | 0 |
| 5Valtteri BottasMercedes | 247 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| 6Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | 170 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 7Nico HülkenbergRenault | 69 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 8Sergio PérezForce India | 62 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Hamilton took it by 88 points with 11 wins and 11 poles across 21 races. 5 different drivers won that season, and the last Grand Prix went to Lewis Hamilton.
Official FIA standings via Jolpica (formerly Ergast).
2018, race by race
All 21 races: who started first, who won and from where, and how many cars reached the flag.
5different drivers won: Hamilton 11 · Vettel 5 · Verstappen 2 · Ricciardo 2 · Räikkönen 1.
3different teams won: Mercedes 11 · Ferrari 6 · Red Bull 4.
5different drivers took pole: Hamilton 11 · Vettel 5 · Bottas 2 · Ricciardo 2 · Räikkönen 1.
7different drivers stood on the podium.
4one-twos for a single team: Mercedes 4.
10 of 21races were won from pole position.
0first-ever wins: every winner had won before.
From 14ththe win from furthest back: Lewis Hamilton, German Grand Prix.
20 years, 274 daysthe youngest winner of the year: Max Verstappen, Austrian Grand Prix.
80%of starts reached the flag (335 of 420).
13 of 20cars finished the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the race with fewest survivors.
0hat tricks (pole, win and fastest lap). Most fastest laps: Bottas 7 · Ricciardo 4 · Hamilton 3.
| # | Grand Prix | Winner | Started |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Australian Grand Prix | Sebastian VettelFerrari | 3rd |
| 2 | Bahrain Grand Prix | Sebastian VettelFerrari | 1st |
| 3 | Chinese Grand Prix | Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | 6th |
| 4 | Azerbaijan Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 5 | Spanish Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 6 | Monaco Grand Prix | Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | 1st |
| 7 | Canadian Grand Prix | Sebastian VettelFerrari | 1st |
| 8 | French Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 9 | Austrian Grand Prix | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 4th |
| 10 | British Grand Prix | Sebastian VettelFerrari | 2nd |
| 11 | German Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 14th |
| 12 | Hungarian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 13 | Belgian Grand Prix | Sebastian VettelFerrari | 2nd |
| 14 | Italian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 3rd |
| 15 | Singapore Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 16 | Russian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 2nd |
| 17 | Japanese Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 18 | United States Grand Prix | Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | 2nd |
| 19 | Mexican Grand Prix | Max VerstappenRed Bull | 2nd |
| 20 | Brazilian Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
| 21 | Abu Dhabi Grand Prix | Lewis HamiltonMercedes | 1st |
Pole goes to whoever started first, after penalties. «Finished» counts classified cars that took the flag. Fastest lap is the race fastest lap.
What if 2018 had been raced 100 times?
We took the real 2018 grid (every car with its performance and reliability, every driver with his rating) and re-ran the full 21-race championship 100 times.
| Driver | Avg. finish | Titles |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis Hamiltonreal championMercedes | P1 | 100% |
| Sebastian VettelFerrari | P2.4 | 0% |
| Kimi RäikkönenFerrari | P3.3 | 0% |
| Valtteri BottasMercedes | P3.5 | 0% |
| Max VerstappenRed Bull | P4.9 | 0% |
| Daniel RicciardoRed Bull | P6 | 0% |
Lewis Hamilton wins 100% of the simulated championships. Runner-up Sebastian Vettel manages 0%: with that machinery, the real result was very nearly the only one available.
What if Senna, Hamilton or Alonso had driven the 2018 championship-winning car?
Build your own hypothesisDrivers of 2018
Keep reading
What we have measured about 2018 and about what decided it, with our own numbers.
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