Starting from Australian Grand Prix on March 25 to Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday (July 29), Formula 1 has completed more than half of races in the ongoing season and now entered into the summer break. The racing action will resume with free practice 1 in Belgium on August 24 while there is still no clarity over who will lift the driver's championship at the end of the season.
The story of 2018 season so far, as expected, is between Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Hamilton is clearly on the driving seat with 24-point championship lead ahead of Sebastian Vettel. Though Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) and Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) are in third and fourth position, respectively, it will be difficult for them to pose a challenge against Hamilton and Vettel, considering the blistering pace of latter two and also the gap in the points table.
Vettel starts strong but Hamilton bounces back
The start of the Formula 1 season saw Vettel and Ferrari dominating. The German driver won the season opener in Australia and the next race at Bahrain in April keeping Hamilton at bay. The Chinese GP saw Daniel Ricciardo (Red Bull) emerging on top while both Hamilton and Vettel missed the podium. For the next two races at Azerbaijan and Spain, Hamilton found his rhythm while Vettel struggled for a podium finish. At this moment, many thought Mercedes is back on track and it will be yet another dominating year for the UK based team.
Changing championship lead race after race
However, fierce Vettel fought back in Canada and followed by Hamilton in France. It looked like Ferrari and Mercedes are neck and neck. Then rotten luck struck Hamilton in Austria as engine failure and he couldn't finish the race while Vettel secured P2 behind Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Vettel overtook Hamilton in championship standing winning the next race in Britain. The next race in his home country of Germany, Vettel was determined to extend his lead. However bad luck now hit the German as he crashed from P1 with just 25 laps to go. It was a serious dent to Vettel's title-winning chance as Lewis Hamilton took a sensational victory in Germany and retook the lead in driver's championship.
Hamilton on the driving seat
Then came the Hungarian Grand Prix and a win was crucial for Hamilton to cement his lead while Vettel required it too to retake championship lead. It was the day of Hamilton as the British driver crossed chequered flag first in ease while determined Vettel crossed the line in P2 after a fierce battle with Bottas and Raikkonen. The 24 point lead over Vettel definitely puts Hamilton in the driving seat during the summer break.
What does the rest of the season hint at?
Hamilton in lead doesn't mean that he has significant immunity in the championship race. A race result can still make a significant change in the structure and hence, defending title will be not a cakewalk for Hamilton and Mercedes. Vettel and Ferrari's pace, on the other hand, is in stronger than the previous season. This will definitely give confidence for Vettel to push harder.
Starting from Belgium next month to Abu Dhabi on November 25, there are nine Formula 1 races left in the season and that indicates the end result can go either way. Both Vettel and Hamilton are four-time world champions and the winner of 2018 will sort the question about who is best among two.
