The 100-race statistics that should alarm F1

There is the famous saying that there are lies, damned lies and statistics. But in Formula 1's case, brutal truths actually come to light if you pore over the numbers that have been produced in the past few years.

At the 2018 season finale in Abu Dhabi last month, there was a nice symmetry to the fact that the championship had completed a century of races since the turbo hybrid era began at the start of '14.

It has been a period where Mercedes has been the dominant force, and its five successive constructors' and drivers' championship doubles is something that only one other team - Ferrari - has achieved in F1's history.

The resurrection of Mercedes' Maranello rival over the past two seasons, even though its title ambitions failed again in 2018, gave an impression that the competitive order has closed up. Plus, Red Bull also emerged as a regular contender for race wins in the final stages of the season just gone.

But with Mercedes' championship advantage being a comfortable 84 points in the end, and Ferrari winning only two races since F1's summer break, the reality is that the Silver Arrows are still well clear of the opposition.

But it is the level of dominance that Mercedes has shown over 100 races - winning nearly three-quarters of them - that shows the level Ferrari and Red Bull need to reach if they are to hope to pull together the form that Mercedes has been able to produce.

Wins by team

Points by team

When it comes to the numbers on the driver front, things are also pretty much one-sided.

Lewis Hamilton's march to a fifth world championship this year has confirmed his status as one of F1's all-time greats. He is the only man to have battled for all the world championships in the turbo hybrid era, and he only lost the 2016 crown at the final round to team-mate Nico Rosberg.

When looking at the numbers over the past five seasons the manner of his consistent dominance becomes clear. The 2017 season was the only year where he won fewer than 10 races in a campaign.

Apart from Rosberg's 2016 title charge, no driver has really got close to Hamilton in terms of wins per season - with Sebastian Vettel's tally of five victories in '17 and '18 the nearest anyone outside of Mercedes has managed.

Wins by driver

On pole position form, Hamilton is even further clear of his current opposition - with Rosberg again the only driver who has been a proper threat, having taken the season best - with 11 - in the 2014 campaign.

Poles by driver

While the level of Mercedes dominance is sobering for its rivals, some digging into the data throws up other numbers that should also be a concern for everyone involved in F1.

It's now widely understood that the top three teams have managed to pull clear of the rest of the field, with a comfortable gap between Mercedes/Ferrari/Red Bull and the chasing midfield gang.

The slim pickings on offer for anyone outside of those three squads is something that F1 needs to keep very clearly in mind.

If F1 is to be sustainable in the longer term, those teams further down the order simply must have the chance of getting a day in the sun

Looking at the podium finishes spread since the start of 2014, it is a pretty sad state of affairs. There have been just four races since the start of '16 where a car outside of the leading trio of teams has finished on the podium.

In percentage terms, teams outside the top three have taken just 7.6% of podiums in the turbo hybrid era, and that has fallen to 1.6% over the past three seasons.

Sergio Perez has grabbed two podium finishes in Baku (in 2016 and '18) and one in Monaco ('16). Lance Stroll took a third in Baku last year, while Valtteri Bottas - when he was at Williams - took third in Canada in '16. That's it.

Podiums by team

The lack of 'underdog' podium finishes is something that F1 managing director of motorsport Ross Brawn highlighted as a major worry last year, which was before the drought got even worse.

"Why would I waste my life working madly, day and night, to know I can just do the same as I did last year? There is no point" Gunther Steiner

"It's a problem we are tackling together with the FIA and the teams, because the future of Formula 1 depends on it," he said. "There are various solutions on the table and we must all accept that we can't go on like this for too much longer."

He is right. If F1 is to be sustainable in the longer term, those teams further down the order simply must have the chance of getting a day in the sun.

It was interesting hearing Haas boss Gunther Steiner recently discussing his team's future prospects. Right now, he knows that there is little hope of gunning for podiums - let alone wins.

"I think for two years yes, it's sustainable," Steiner said. "But long term: no, it gets old.

"If it doesn't change, at some point there's no point to just be in it. The business doesn't work as a business if you cannot take and feel the enjoyment of competing for podiums and wins. There's no point to be here after a certain time.

"Why would I waste my life working madly, day and night, flying to 21 countries all around the globe, to know I can just do the same as I did last year? There is no point. No point."

Those are sobering comments. They show just how much F1 must ensure that wins, poles and podiums are shared much more evenly when its new era begins in 2021.