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The 2018 season in Formula 1 is already in the history and it's another year of the turbo-hybrid era in the sport. An era that began in 2014 and is currently dominated by a team and a driver – Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton.
The fifth consecutive year and the fifth consecutive title in the constructors and constructors proved the superiority of the team.
The "silver arrows" were superb during the season. In the final standings, Hamilton finished with a record 408 points, including 80 at his closest Sebastian Vettel hunt. For the manufacturers, the Mercedes finished with 655 and 84 more than Ferrari.
No domination, especially in sport, does not last forever. Is there any chance after five years of 2019 to change cabins?
What makes Mercedes the dominant force
Since 2014, exactly 100 Formula 1 races have been organized, of which 74 have been won by Mercedes. And of those 74 starts, exactly 51 were victories in Hamilton, which confirmed him as the No. 1 of his time. Now the five-time world champion does not even think about stopping here and has already announced that he has serious plans for the new season.
The big advantage of the team is undoubtedly the engine, which is the No. 1 drive systems since 2014. However, the advantage of the Mercedes engine during the current season has decreased, the qualities of driver being at the top.
The projection of Hamilton and team-mate Valter Botas could answer allegations that in the second half of the season Mercedes' power over other propulsion systems would be more advantageous. After the summer break, the Briton has won six and has been on the podium eight times in nine starts. In the same period, Botas had recorded only three podiums against five previously.
"This is the year when I had the toughest relationship with my car, but it makes it very special, I think I learned a lot during the season," Hamilton told Abu Dhabi. car for a large part of the year.
This is proved by the first year in which a world champion teammate fails to win a single victory. With the exception of the start in Russia, where Hamilton won after a boxing order, Botas was left tied with the world champion. By the end of the season, Finland's mistakes were multiplying and, with his performance, he was far from the starting position to fight for wins.
"The # 5 driver proved his worth at Lewis, and even though he did not have the best car at times, he managed to get the most out of the package by winning races that did not take place. not developed to his advantage, "said Sky Sports. Martin Brandl.
According to the director of "Mercedes" TOTO WOLF, each domination is a little or too much to repel the fans. "We've already seen it with Ferrari, then with Red Bull.
"I can say very seriously that Mercedes members do not lose their motivation for every title, even on the contrary, they all try to be better, the bar is very high, so we try to jump every year" says l & # 39; Austrian.
Historically, the Mercedes dominates more than any other team that has won successive titles. Over the past 35 years, four McLarens have won seven titles among the drivers between 1984 and 1991, Ferrari (five titles between 2000 and 2004 with Michael Schumacher), Red Bull with four titles in the era of Vettel and now Mercedes .
However, in terms of the number of starts and victories, "the silver arrows are far ahead of all the others" (see table).
The Ferrari trophies are equivalent to "Mercedes" – a five-cylinder title for designers and drivers (2000-2004), but "Silver Arrows" is already thinking for the sixth year in a row.
What to expect in 2019
The rules of Formula 1 and the propulsion systems currently in use remain in effect until the end of the 2020 season, two more years. Until then, it is very unlikely that a major change will occur in the layers, as in 2014, when the Red Bull era is over.
However, in recent years, the gap between the Mercedes and the others has been significantly reduced (see Table 1). In the first three seasons of the turbo-hybrid era, "Silver Arrows" has won between 85 and 90% of the races, compared with 60 and 52% for the last two seasons.
On the Hamilton podium of Abu Dhabi, he knocked everyone out by undressing, but it was like throwing the glove on his rivals. The British pilot did not accidentally show the tattoo on his back, Still I Rise, as if to tell them he was not thinking of stopping there.
"I wanted to finish the year in full force, just as I plan to start next season, I think it's very important nowadays because psychology plays an important role in Formula One," he said. Hamilton after the last start.
Once there is no change in the rules, expectations are "Mercedes, Ferrari" and "Red Bull" to take the lead. But bulls will be a new propulsion system after switching to Honda in 12 years with Renault engines.
"I think my biggest rival will be Sebastian (Vettel) in 2019. For Red Bull, I'm not convinced that they have a good car, but that they'll still have a new engine and that it takes of time, added the world champion.
The search for records is also a big motivation for him. Hamilton follows Michael Schumacher's greatest achievements, promising at least to get closer to them.
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