Formula 1: Was the 2018 season the end of an era?

The 2018 Formula 1 season is officially in the books. Does the conclusion of this 21-race season mark the end of an era in the sport?

The V6 turbo hybrid era of Formula 1 began in the 2014 season. Ever since then, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport have been dominant. They have won each of the last five constructor championships, and their drivers have won each of the last five driver championships.

The five constructor championship battles in the V6 turbo hybrid era have all been decided before the season finale, and all but two of the driver championship battles in this era have been decided before the season finale as well.

In fact, the only two driver championship battles in the V6 turbo hybrid era that have not been decided heading into the season finale were the 2014 and 2016 battles between Mercedes teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton, meaning that a non-Mercedes driver has not entered the season finale with a chance to win the driver championship in the V6 turbo hybrid era.

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A non-Mercedes driver has not even entered the penultimate race of a season with a chance to win the driver championship in the V6 turbo hybrid era.

Hamilton has won four of the five driver championships during the V6 turbo hybrid era, as Rosberg was able to hold him off to win his first career championship in the 2016 season.

While the 2018 season is not the end of the V6 turbo hybrid era, could it possible be the end of the era of dominance by Mercedes and Hamilton?

It is no secret that Scuderia Ferrari have gotten more competitive in recent seasons. Had it not been for a slew of unforced errors by Sebastian Vettel this season, he could very well be in championship contention. He could very well be the man crowned champion for the fifth time in his career this season as opposed to Hamilton.

If Vettel can focus on eliminating the careless mistakes that he made down the stretch this season, there is no reason to believe that he cannot put up a fight against Hamilton in 2019. There is also no reason to believe that the up-and-coming Charles Leclerc, who Ferrari signed to replace Kimi Raikkonen beginning next year, will not also put up a fight after an outstanding rookie season driving for Alfa Romeo Sauber.

Aston Martin Red Bull Racing are also poised to be a serious threat to Mercedes next season for the first time in the V6 turbo hybrid era if their switch from Renault engines to Honda engines goes as planned and the Honda engines produce more power than the Renault engines have while being more reliable than the Renault engines have as well.

Red Bull Racing have already stated that they believe Max Verstappen can win next year’s championship, and this is certainly possible given the strength of their chassis assuming their new Honda engines live up to the expectations.

Even if Mercedes manage to win their sixth consecutive constructor championship next year, it will likely be won via a hard-fought battle with Ferrari and Red Bull Racing. Likewise, even if Hamilton wins his sixth career driver championship next year, it likely won’t be won without him having to fend off multiple threats from multiple teams that he hasn’t truly had to deal with in a championship capacity before.

Has the era of dominance by the Brackley-based team and the 33-year-old Briton come to an end?

Will the 2019 Formula 1 season feature more competition among the sport’s top three teams to the point where Mercedes are no longer the dominant team and Lewis Hamilton is no longer the dominant driver? Which team or teams have the best chance to dethrone Mercedes, and which driver or drivers have the best chance to dethrone the five-time champion?