The final round of 2017 brings us to Abu Dhabi for the curtain call on a twenty race escapade which has delivered an intriguing and entertaining season. From Round 1 in Australia the signs were encouraging, and when Vettel chased Hamilton so closely in the early stages it confirmed that Ferrari had indeed responded to the new regulations with a big jump in competitiveness. Using that pace around the pitstops allowed Ferrari to take the first win, although as it turned out, probably the only victory over Mercedes at a track that favoured neither in particular. Hamilton bounced back in China to make it one all, and the game was on.
Bahrain saw a significant first pole position for Bottas but what struck me more about that scenario was the fact that Hamilton did not have a car in full health on his final qualifying lap and yet never mentioned it, instead praising his team mate's efforts, demonstrating that this was indeed an entirely new dynamic at work within Mercedes. Ultimately, the lack of internal strife allowed Hamilton to soar to new levels, and he was equally gracious when Bottas took his first win next time out in Russia.
Barcelona saw a real contest between Hamilton and Vettel throughout the full distance, but this time Hamilton triumphed, and Mercedes looked to have made some useful gains compared to winter testing at the same track. But Monaco was Ferrari terrain, and a missed victory for Kimi Raikkonen. His pole position and early lead should have been converted, but Vettel's more favoured pit stop strategy swapped them around and that was the closest Kimi ever came to winning a race this year.
Hamilton has an extra gear in Canada no matter what he's driving, but Baku certainly caught the attention. This was another proper two way dice between our pair of title protagonists, but it ended in temper tantrums, penalties and pop-up headrests in one of the most bizarre races of the season. Bottas made the most of an electrifying start in Austria but at Silverstone Hamilton was again in a world of his own, equalling records established by Jim Clark and watching the Ferraris flounder with overworked tyres. The Italian team that had taken a drubbing on the high speed sweeps in Northamptonshire returned with gusto and a one-two in Hungary, but here once again we saw the consequences of a new relationship within Mercedes as Hamilton returned third place to Bottas. Remember how we wondered if he would regret it? Seems an irrelevant question now..
Vettel should probably have won Spa, but he was out-raced by Hamilton on the crucial restart and in Italy Lewis became the all time record holder for pole positions, setting his lap in wet conditions yet also dominating in the dry on raceday. The Asian tour followed, and a Ferrari meltdown in terms of reliability and points-scoring effectively ended the challenge. As much as Vettel threw at the race in Austin, he still couldn't prevent Hamilton scorching past as early as Lap 6 and the writing was on the wall. To be fair, Vettel was like a dog with a bone until it was mathematically out of sight in Mexico but after a scrappy race for both of them, Hamilton could celebrate his huge achievement of a fourth world title; game over.
Minor compensation came the way of Ferrari in Brazil and now we arrive in Abu Dhabi for the concluding episode. It has been a fascinating season in many ways, pitching two great drivers against each other, seeing new records established and a resurgence from Red Bull which may bode well for an even more open contest next year, especially if McLaren can also join in. I shall remember it for a proper rivalry, more often than not played out cleanly and respectfully, and for a generation of cars that has genuinely put the smiles back on the faces of the fastest drivers in the world.
Bahrain saw a significant first pole position for Bottas but what struck me more about that scenario was the fact that Hamilton did not have a car in full health on his final qualifying lap and yet never mentioned it, instead praising his team mate's efforts, demonstrating that this was indeed an entirely new dynamic at work within Mercedes. Ultimately, the lack of internal strife allowed Hamilton to soar to new levels, and he was equally gracious when Bottas took his first win next time out in Russia.
Barcelona saw a real contest between Hamilton and Vettel throughout the full distance, but this time Hamilton triumphed, and Mercedes looked to have made some useful gains compared to winter testing at the same track. But Monaco was Ferrari terrain, and a missed victory for Kimi Raikkonen. His pole position and early lead should have been converted, but Vettel's more favoured pit stop strategy swapped them around and that was the closest Kimi ever came to winning a race this year.
Hamilton has an extra gear in Canada no matter what he's driving, but Baku certainly caught the attention. This was another proper two way dice between our pair of title protagonists, but it ended in temper tantrums, penalties and pop-up headrests in one of the most bizarre races of the season. Bottas made the most of an electrifying start in Austria but at Silverstone Hamilton was again in a world of his own, equalling records established by Jim Clark and watching the Ferraris flounder with overworked tyres. The Italian team that had taken a drubbing on the high speed sweeps in Northamptonshire returned with gusto and a one-two in Hungary, but here once again we saw the consequences of a new relationship within Mercedes as Hamilton returned third place to Bottas. Remember how we wondered if he would regret it? Seems an irrelevant question now..
Vettel should probably have won Spa, but he was out-raced by Hamilton on the crucial restart and in Italy Lewis became the all time record holder for pole positions, setting his lap in wet conditions yet also dominating in the dry on raceday. The Asian tour followed, and a Ferrari meltdown in terms of reliability and points-scoring effectively ended the challenge. As much as Vettel threw at the race in Austin, he still couldn't prevent Hamilton scorching past as early as Lap 6 and the writing was on the wall. To be fair, Vettel was like a dog with a bone until it was mathematically out of sight in Mexico but after a scrappy race for both of them, Hamilton could celebrate his huge achievement of a fourth world title; game over.
Minor compensation came the way of Ferrari in Brazil and now we arrive in Abu Dhabi for the concluding episode. It has been a fascinating season in many ways, pitching two great drivers against each other, seeing new records established and a resurgence from Red Bull which may bode well for an even more open contest next year, especially if McLaren can also join in. I shall remember it for a proper rivalry, more often than not played out cleanly and respectfully, and for a generation of cars that has genuinely put the smiles back on the faces of the fastest drivers in the world.