Formula 1: 2018 mid-season awards

With 12 of the 2018 Formula 1 season’s 21 races already in the books, we have a chance to review the best performing drivers and teams so far this year.

While the Formula 1 paddock enjoys a well-deserved holiday, which, let’s be honest, has been just as frantic for the drivers and teams as any Grand Prix weekend thanks to Daniel Ricciardo’s defection to Renault, Lawrence Stroll’s purchase of Force India, and Carlos Sainz Jr replacing a retiring Fernando Alonso at McLaren, there is no better time to look back at how the season has unfolded and recognize the standout performers on the grid.

After dominating the Hungarian Grand Prix and converting his sublime wet-weather pole position into a race victory by 17.123, seconds, four-time Formula 1 champion Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes heads into the mid-season break at the top of the driver standings having overturned an eight-point deficit following the British Grand Prix to a 24-point lead over fellow four-time champion Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari.

Of the 12 races that have been contested so far this season, Hamilton has won five (Azerbaijan, Spain, France, Germany and Hungary). Vettel has won four (Australia, Bahrain, Canada and Britain). The Briton has four additional podiums to the German’s three, and both drivers have taken five pole positions.

Despite failing to win a race this season, Ferrari’s Kimi Raikkonen sits in third place in the championship with 146 points and eight podium finishes. He sits 14 points ahead of fellow Finnish driver Valtteri Bottas of Mercedes, who has taken second place on five occasions in 2018.

Red Bull Racing’s Daniel Ricciardo occupies fifth place in the driver standings with 118 points, largely thanks to a pair of triumphs in China and Monaco. His teammate, Max Verstappen, is the only other driver to take the checkered flag in 2018 (Austria), helping the Dutchman to 105 points and sixth in the standings.

Nico Hulkenberg of Renault has claimed “best of the rest” honors in seventh place in the driver standings, totaling 52 points with four top six finishes, the same amount as Haas’ Kevin Magnussen, who is eighth in the standings and a single point ahead of McLaren’s Fernando Alonso (45 to 44). Force India’s Sergio Perez is the only driver outside of the lead pack who has finished a race in the podium. He finished in third in Azerbaijan and is tied for 10th in the standings with 30 points.

Meanwhile, in the constructor standings, four-time defending champions Mercedes enjoy a 10-point cushion over Ferrari (345 to 335). Plagued by reliability issues, Red Bull Racing are a further 112 points behind Ferrari in third place.

Renault have jumped up to fourth place in the constructor standings this season to currently lead what has been coined the “Formula B” Championship. They have earned 82 points, which is 16 points more than Haas have earned in fifth. Force India are sixth with 59 points, leading seventh-placed McLaren by seven points. Further down the order, Toro Rosso are eighth with 28 points, Sauber are ninth with 18 points, and Williams are last with only four points.

However, this is just the accumulation of raw race results and does not necessarily tell the full story of the 2018 season. Yes, these points obviously decide the driver and constructor championships, and nobody could seriously argue that (*spoiler alert*) Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel have not been the two best drivers this year, but the standings often fail to reflect the true nature of the sport because it relies so heavily on the fiscal and technological resourcefulness of the teams at the factories to deliver faster cars on the track.

Hence, taking a more subjective look at the season thus far, the aim here is to consider the drivers and teams who have vastly outperformed their expectations and to recognize the top performers in a number of categories such as best rookie, most improved driver, most impressive team, and the overall best driver in Formula 1, as well as the highest quality overtake, race and victory this year.