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Formula One: Lewis Hamilton vs. Sebastian Vettel – who wins championship #5 first?

By Asher Fair

SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 17: Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 17, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images)
SINGAPORE - SEPTEMBER 17: Sebastian Vettel of Germany driving the (5) Scuderia Ferrari SF70H leads Lewis Hamilton of Great Britain driving the (44) Mercedes AMG Petronas F1 Team Mercedes F1 WO8 on track during the Formula One Grand Prix of Singapore at Marina Bay Street Circuit on September 17, 2017 in Singapore. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) /
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Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are set to enter the 2018 Formula One season with four championships each. Who will be the first to get his fifth?

Over the past decade, Formula One has been dominated by two drivers: Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel. Since the 2008 season, those two drivers have combined to win eight of the 10 championships, with each driver winning four of his own.

Hamilton, 32, won the championship back in the 2008 season. He added another championship in the 2014 season before winning again in the 2015 season. This past season, he wrapped up his fourth career title.

Vettel, 30, won the championship back in the 2010 season, and that started him on one of the most dominant runs in the history of the sport. He went on to win the championship in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 seasons as well, making him the third driver in Formula One history to win four or more titles in a row.

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The only two championships not won by Hamilton or Vettel since the 2008 season were the 2009 championship and the 2016 championship. Jenson Button won his lone Formula One title in the 2009 season, with Vettel finishing in 2nd place and Hamilton finishing in 5th, and Nico Rosberg won his lone title in the 2016 season, with Hamilton finishing in 2nd and Vettel finishing in 4th.

For the first time in Formula One history, two drivers will enter a season searching for their fifth career championship, a total that would tie Juan Manuel Fangio’s total of five for 2nd on the all-time titles list behind only Michael Schumacher’s total of seven. Will one of them win it, and if so who will it be?

Mercedes has been the dominant team as of late, winning four straight constructors championships and having the drivers champion in each of the last four seasons as well. However, Ferrari had their best season since 2008 in 2017, winning five races and placing both of their drivers in the top 4 in the final drivers standings en route to a 2nd place finish in the constructors standings. Plus, they are expected to continue to improve.

But while Ferrari may be improving, thus improving Sebastian Vettel’s chances to win a championship, picking against Lewis Hamilton just doesn’t seem possible right now. With three championships in the last four years and Mercedes winning the constructors championship in each of those four seasons, he and his team are the clearly established favorites right now. While Vettel may get his fifth carer Formula One championship at some point, expect Hamilton to get his fifth before Vettel does as early the 2018 season.

Next: Who is the greatest Formula One driver of all-time?

Who do you think will end up winning his fifth career Formula One championship first, Lewis Hamilton or Sebastian Vettel, or do you think both are done winning titles? Could both possibly get to five titles before their careers end? The 2018 season is set to begin in just under four months on Sunday, March 25th when the series travels to Melbourne, Australia for the Australian Grand Prix.

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