By Joey Barnes, Editor-in-Chief
Motorsports Tribune reviews the top 10 from the 2017 Formula 1 World Drivers’ Championship. Our list moves on to No. 1, Lewis Hamilton.
Lewis Hamilton, No. 44 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport
- 2017: 1st in the championship, 363 points
- Wins: 9, Podiums: 13, Top 5: 18, Top 10: 20, Poles: 11, Laps Led: 527, Fastest Laps: 7
- Best Finish 1st – Nine times (China, Spain, Canada, Great Britain, Belgium, Italy, Singapore, Japan, United States)
Lewis Hamilton put together one of the most impressive drives in the history of Formula 1 en route to the 2017 championship.
Although his nine wins and four additional podiums were impressive, the biggest statistic that jumps out is the fact that the 32-year-old Brit was the only driver to not have a retirement all season and additionally, the only one to have finished every single race in the points.
In some ways, many might remember the season for Sebastian Vettel’s collapse, which began in the Singapore Grand Prix and was the first time in his career that he failed to capture the title after leading the championship. However, nothing should be taken away from Hamilton for simply doing the job.
When Vettel was hit with the combination of retirement, fourth-place, retirement in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan, Hamilton rattled off a first, second and first over the same stretch. It was the pivot point of the 2017 campaign and allowed Hamilton to capture his fourth F1 title with two races to spare in Mexico.
The likelihood is next season will see Mercedes continue to be strong and Hamilton the title favorite. However, it is very likely Ferrari figures out what ailed their power unit struggles and becomes someone to contend with, as well as Red Bull Racing.
The reality is that Hamilton and Vettel now both have four championships, and with every race weekend records are now beginning to fall with normalcy. 2017 teased it, but many are still awaiting the ultimate head-to-head battle between the combined eight-time champions.
So the only question now is… who will prevail and be the first to five?
