The winners of the 2018 F1 Racing Awards

Qualifier of the year: Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes

As far as qualifying performance is concerned, there is no driver in the same league as Lewis Hamilton. This is the fifth consecutive season F1 Racing readers have voted the Mercedes racer the best qualifier of the year, and the statistics reveal just how dominant he is on a Saturday.

This year his career pole position tally reached 83, putting him 15 clear of Michael Schumacher, the next best in the all-time list. Lewis took 11 in 2018, nine more than team-mate Valtteri Bottas and six more than title rival Sebastian Vettel.

There were a few standout performances this season, such as finding half a second in the wet over the Ferraris at the Hungaroring, and an even bigger margin over them and Bottas in Singapore. If ever you needed evidence of a driving masterclass in action, it was Hamilton's flat-out precision between the walls along the floodlit streets of the Marina Bay circuit in September.

But it wasn't just the large gaps that were so impressive - it was the tiny margins, too. One fine example is the two runs Lewis made during the final session in Austin in October. On his first Q3 run, Vettel was just 0.088 seconds down on Hamilton over the 92-second lap. Hamilton's final lap was a 1m 32.237s, while Vettel stopped the clocks on 1m 32.298s. The difference between the pair? Just 0.061 seconds.

To sum up just how tight it had been between them, when Vettel heard how close he'd come to claiming pole himself, he responded over the team radio: "Oh for f***'s sake." And that's what most drivers think when they're up against Lewis Hamilton in qualifying.

Lewis Hamilton: "A big thank you to the fans who voted for me, I really do appreciate the support and also from F1 Racing for the support you have given me all these years. For people to recognise my year and the amount of work that has gone into it is great and I'll continue to make qualifying on a Saturday exciting for the fans by constantly giving it my all."

How you voted

Lewis Hamilton 68.3%
Max Verstappen 6.1%
Charles Leclerc 5.5%
Sebastian Vettel 4.7%
Kimi Räikkönen 4.1%
Other 11.3%

Team boss of the year: Toto Wolff - Mercedes

There are those who say that Toto Wolff's life became easier in 2017, after he'd installed Valtteri Bottas in the seat formerly occupied by Nico Rosberg, thereby producing harmony where once there had been rancour. No further need to bang his drivers' heads together and exhort them to play nice for the good of the team.

And yet - setting aside the business of how to keep his team at the top - Wolff has had to make tough decisions, few more weighty than at the 2018 Russian Grand Prix. There he made a call that rendered him the object of fierce scrutiny: with five races remaining, he ordered Bottas to cede victory to Lewis Hamilton. Bottas's cool acquiescence to the order made the act no less problematic.

Wolff later admitted he had struggled to sleep the previous night, wrestling with the permutations of the close championship battle between Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel, the morality of team orders, and the effect it would have on 'the show'. But he displayed leadership in his decision and justified his actions. When the sole goal of the Mercedes organisation - totalling hundreds of employees - is to win the drivers' and constructors' titles, then every critical decision must return to that purpose. A clear strategic action is the difference between winners and losers.

It was suggested that Wolff's actions mirrored those unpleasant scenes in Austria in '02, early on in the season when Rubens Barrichello was prevailed upon to make way for Michael Schumacher. Wolff's response was to point out that Jean Todt, then Ferrari team principal, was the most successful team boss in the history of modern motorsport, with numerous championship victories in rallying, sportscars and F1.

Is it any surprise, then, that Mercedes have managed to match Todt's achievement of five consecutive drivers' and constructors' championships? Four of those have been delivered by Hamilton, who, under Wolff's management, has been granted freedoms that have enabled him to grow as a person - and as an increasingly consistent and relentless competitor.

Toto Wolff: "To be voted the team principal of the year, by the readers of F1 Racing, makes me very happy. I was privileged to have won this same award once before in 2014, so now I am a double champion! After such a momentous year, I feel very grateful to have won this."

How you voted

Toto Wolff (Mercedes) 53.2%
Frédéric Vasseur (Sauber) 12.7%
Christian Horner (Red Bull) 10.7%
Gunther Steiner (Haas) 8.7%
Otmar Szafnauer (Force India) 5.6%
Other 9.1%

Overtake of the year: Daniel Ricciardo on Valtteri Bottas in China on lap 45, for the lead

For the third consecutive season, a Red Bull driver has won our award for 'overtake of the year'. Since this is not a team endowed with either a Mercedes or Ferrari engine, it is clearly the skill of the chase and bravery on the brakes that registers with our readers, rather than straight passes eased by DRS and/or engine grunt.

Daniel Ricciardo is one of the best overtakers in the business, unexpectedly pouncing on his prey with ruthless efficiency. At this year's Chinese GP he overtook title protagonists Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel - plus Valtteri Bottas - to claim the sixth victory of his career.

Despite a tyre advantage, Ricciardo still needed to make the moves stick and if you need an example of how it could have come undone, look no further than his team-mate Max Verstappen. Running the same strategy, he made an error trying to pass Hamilton and then crashed into Vettel.

Two of Ricciardo's moves in Shanghai were assisted by DRS, but the award-winning move was on Bottas for the lead. As they crested the rise and approached the tight right-hander at Turn 6, Ricciardo positioned his car to the inside. Bottas defended by moving across. Ricciardo watched the gap narrow, but kept his Red Bull between the Mercedes and the grass. He beautifully kept off the brakes for longer, didn't lock up, and neatly won the corner. Victory assured.

Daniel Ricciardo: "I had such momentum during the last part of the race, that I didn't even think about waiting for the straight and DRS. Prior to this I'd made some comments about Bottas not having a crack at Vettel in Bahrain, so a little bit of my pride and ego meant I had to back up what I said... I knew I had to go deep, but it was only after watching the onboard that I saw we got pretty close."

How you voted

Ricciardo on Bottas in China on lap 45, for P1 at Turn 6 32.7%
Hamilton on Alonso, Hülkenberg and Ocon in Bahrain on lap 5, for P6 on the start/finish line 29.0%
Ricciardo on Verstappen in Azerbaijan on lap 35, for P4 at Turn 1 16.2%
Vettel on Hamilton in Austria on lap 39, for P3 at Turn 3 11.3%
Vettel on Bottas in Britain on lap 47, for P1 at Turn 6 10.8%

Start of the year: Max Verstappen - 19th to 15th at the Russian GP

A good start is always amplified at Sochi because the distance from pole position to the apex of Turn 2 - the first braking zone - is 844 metres. That makes the run off the line the longest on the calendar (the next longest is the 800 metres to Turn 1 in Mexico). As the pack of cars head off the line, those further back can benefit from the draft being created and can use the tow to their advantage. At this year's Russian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen managed to move up four places before Turn 3.

He had been forced to start 19th because of grid penalties caused by engine component changes on his Red Bull, plus a further penalty for a yellow-flag infringement in qualifying when he failed to slow for Sergey Sirotkin's spun Williams. Off the line Max had to swerve past a slow-starting Pierre Gasly directly in front, while out-accelerating team-mate Daniel Ricciardo. On the run to Turn 2 Max picked up a tow from Fernando Alonso, who closed the door on the Red Bull and caused Verstappen to momentarily lift.

Choosing the outside, and avoiding what would have been inevitable contact at the apex (which, in the event, involved Ricciardo), Max outbraked Alonso for 16th then took 15th when the second McLaren of Stoffel Vandoorne ran wide. Verstappen despatched both Williams cars before the end of the first tour, so by lap two he was up to 11th - and he passed five more cars by lap six, making up a total of 13 places from his original starting position.

Max Verstappen: "The start in Russia was a bit hectic, I think it was Pierre Gasly who stalled in front of me so I had to go around him. I remember there was a lot of dust on the run to Turn 2 as cars were going off-line left and right in front of me. It was really critical to get through that first lap with positions gained, but also without any damage."

How you voted

Max Verstappen P19 to P15 (Russia) 32.9%
Charles Leclerc P8 to P5 (France) 28.6%
Kimi Räikkönen P4 to P2 (Austria) 20.0%
Sebastian Vettel P2 to P1 (Belgium) 12.6%
Max Verstappen P7 to P5 (Hungary) 5.9%

Pitcrew of the year: Mercedes

There is often a view, particularly from the factory side of an F1 team, that all the frontline - the drivers and mechanics at a race - can do is screw it up. Work done back at base maximises a car's performance and during a race weekend it can all be undone by a driver hitting a wall or a mechanic failing to attach a wheel properly in a pitstop. Therefore one aspect of a successful F1 team's focus during a grand prix weekend is to increase efficiency and avoid errors.

In 2018, Mercedes weren't regularly at the head of the fastest pitstop times, but on the other hand neither were they prone to mistakes. Still, there was a standout moment of brilliance from the Mercedes crew, performed under pressure in China, which helped Valtteri Bottas take the lead. Bottas was running second and pitted to change tyres to fend off Max Verstappen, who had already pitted and was attempting an undercut on fresher rubber.

Bottas's crew knew he would need an swift turnaround if he was going to gain on Sebastian Vettel ahead of him, as well as defending from Verstappen. They pulled it off: Bottas kept ahead of Verstappen and when Vettel stopped a lap later he emerged behind the Mercedes. Bottas's pitstop was then the joint fastest of the year, at 2.15 seconds. That record that stood until Hockenheim, when Ferrari achieved a 2.09s. Red Bull managed 2.08s in Abu Dhabi, but the fastest of the year went to Ferrari's 1.97s in Brazil.

Matt Deane, chief mechanic: "We're extremely honoured to have been given this award and, as chief mechanic, I'm delighted to accept it on behalf of the pitcrew. We practise up to 60 times over a race weekend, and during the European season we'll practise up to 25 times at the factory, too. We try to be consistent; we don't want to be the fastest, we don't want a 1.8s stop and then a 3s stop - we're aiming for 2.3s every time, to be consistent and to eliminate mistakes."

How you voted

Mercedes 37.7%
Red Bull 30.3%
Williams 13.5%
Ferrari 8.8%
Sauber 3.0%
Other 6.7%

Rookie of the year: Charles Leclerc - Sauber

It's a sign of how effectively he has turned things around that Charles Leclerc's patchy first few outings in Formula 1 have been so quickly forgotten. A solid start at the Australian Grand Prix presaged a strategically flawed race in Bahrain, caused by Leclerc locking up and flat-spotting his front tyre. Then at the next race in Shanghai, he spun his Sauber into the gravel - an unforced error that broke his floor.

Feeling that he was trying too hard, Leclerc took a step back, changed focus, and returned to action as a much more assured character. He hauled his Sauber to sixth at the next race in Azerbaijan, keeping calm when so many were running off the road (or into the wall) and claiming Sauber's highest finish for three years.

He shunted messily into Brendon Hartley in Monaco, but that was caused by a brake disc failure, and scored points in Spain, Canada, France - where he qualified an impressive eighth - and Austria. There had been speculation that Ferrari would draft Leclerc into a red seat to replace a lacklustre Kimi Räikkönen immediately after the Canadian GP, but in the event Maranello decided to hold off until 2019.

Although Leclerc has only a year's experience in F1, few expect him to wilt under the pressure at Ferrari in '19 because he has shown such great resolve in times of personal crisis. He won the Formula 2 title while grieving his father's death, and his route to F1 has been shaped by talent and results rather than riches.

The fact Leclerc collected the highest percentage of 'rookie of the year' votes since Max Verstappen scooped the award in 2015 is probably a good indicator of the glittering career that lies ahead of him.

Charles Leclerc: "It's great to be recognised by the readers of F1 Racing magazine as 2018's rookie of the year. It's been a good season for me as I've developed so much as a driver. Obviously the first few grands prix of the year were difficult, but after that it's been a smooth ride and it's with huge honour that I've accepted this award."

How you voted

Charles Leclerc 95.2%
Sergey Sirotkin 4.8%

Car of the year: Mercedes W09

The fight for the 2018 world championship was as much about the development war between Ferrari and Mercedes as the personal duel between drivers Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel on track.

Ferrari started the season strongly while Mercedes were still getting to grips with the W09's tendency to overwork its rear tyres. By mid-season, the Ferrari SF71H was also leading in straightline speed; the long-held dominance of the Mercedes engine was now in doubt as Ferrari unleashed more horses. By the time of the Belgian Grand Prix, it looked as if Mercedes had been left behind.

But that was to underestimate the engineers at both chassis HQ in Brackley and the developers at Brixworth's High Performance Powertrains. The W09 came back as Ferrari faltered after the summer break. New rear wheel rims, designed to improve airflow around the tyres and manage heat transfer, were an example of Mercedes' continuing development push. The wheel rims were significant enough that Ferrari held discussions with the FIA, and Mercedes chose not to run them in Austin and Mexico, meaning their race performance was less emphatic.

There were small weaknesses on the title-winning car, as demonstrated by hydraulic leaks brought on by hitting kerbs in Austria and Germany. But since Mercedes had been pushed harder than they have been in any of the previous four campaigns, such cracks were inevitable. If the W09 wasn't the quickest car at the start of 2018, it certainly was by season's end.

Andrew Shovlin, trackside engineering director: "Compared with previous cars, the W09 didn't have as much of a margin over the opposition. Development-wise we have been pushed by Ferrari from start to finish, so it's been one of our cars that has developed most over the course of the season. Overall it's been a challenging season, so it's even more satisfying to win the championship and awards like this one."

How you voted

Mercedes W09 64.5%
Ferrari SF71H 23.6%
Red Bull RB14 4.6%
Haas VF-18 2.7%
Sauber C37 2.2%
Other 2.4%

Drive of the year: Max Verstappen - 19th to fifth at the Russian GP

Earning the status of 'Driver of the Day' isn't a bad way to celebrate your 21st birthday. It's even more impressive when you didn't make the podium but finished a distant fifth. Max Verstappen earned this accolade with his performance at the Russian Grand Prix, where accumulated engine penalties, plus a grid drop for a yellow flag infraction, consigned him to 19th on the grid.

After a superb start, in which he made up five positions by Turn 3, Verstappen pressed on and had made it to 11th by lap two. Having started on the soft tyre - actually the hardest of the compound choices on offer - he was able to extend the length of his first stint, inheriting the lead when those ahead of him pitted.

After his stop, he emerged in fifth and charged to the flag. It was all the more impressive when you consider his Red Bull team-mate didn't make the same progress. Dan Ricciardo made his one and only stop on lap 39, when his team changed his front wing: a piece of it had broken off on the opening lap, hindering his performance.

You narrowly voted Verstappen's Russia drive ahead of Lewis Hamilton's German GP win, where he too charged through the field. This begs the question: reversed grids, anyone?

Max Verstappen: "It's great to have support from the fans as it motivates me to do well, so thank you. After the good start in the race, we took the opposite strategy to the other cars and that seemed to work well. It was just a shame that I had to make a pitstop, as otherwise I think I could have won the race. I was actually quite surprised we went through the traffic so quickly, but the car balance was very good on the day."

How you voted

Max Verstappen (Russia) 10.7%
Lewis Hamilton (Germany) 10.1%
Lewis Hamilton (Italy) 8.7%
Lewis Hamilton (Singapore) 7.3%
Daniel Ricciardo (Monaco) 6.9%
Other 56.3%

Driver of the year: Lewis Hamilton - Mercedes

Which statement is more accurate? Did Lewis Hamilton win the 2018 drivers' championship? Or did Sebastian Vettel lose it? You could argue that Vettel's costly mistakes (as many as nine can be listed) such as the lock-up in Baku, sliding off the road in Germany, and hitting Valtteri Bottas on the first lap at Paul Ricard, meant Lewis Hamilton's fifth drivers' title was pretty much served up to him on a platter.

But this would overlook Hamilton's brilliant driving across the season. During such a high-pressure campaign, perhaps the most impressive aspect is that Hamilton made no serious errors. The last time he made contact with a wall was in Brazil the previous year.

Even during early off-days in China and Azerbaijan, when he was struggling with his tyres, Hamilton still picked up a significant number of points. Then there were the days when he was unstoppable, scoring an unlikely win at Monza after going wheel to wheel with his title rival; staying on the road and winning in treacherous conditions in Germany; and dominating races in Singapore and Japan.

Toto Wolff said of Hamilton's fourth title win with Mercedes that this year he had driven better than ever. Michael Schumacher's championship record and win tally are now in Lewis's sights, and it's no stretch of the imagination to think he could even eclipse them.

Lewis Hamilton: "The driver of the year award is important - and thank you again to the fans who voted for me - because I guess you want to be that one all-round driver and there are a lot of others to choose from who have all had good or great individual performances this season. From my point of view my season has been higher than ever before, so I appreciate the recognition."

How you voted

Lewis Hamilton 54.3%
Charles Leclerc 9.8%
Max Verstappen 7.9%
Kimi Räikkönen 7.0%
Sebastian Vettel 4.6%
Other 16.4%

Spirit of F1 award: Esteban Ocon - Force India

The final award that F1 Racing makes every year cannot be measured by statistics or speed. The Spirit of F1 Award is for that one individual who has shown great courage in trying circumstances, someone who continues to strive to achieve their best in a sporting manner against the odds.

Both Valtteri Bottas and Daniel Ricciardo were strong contenders for the award this year. Bottas came so close to victory in Baku and could easily have led the championship in the early part of the season, but increasingly had to yield to his team-mate and was dubbed a 'wingman'. Ricciardo, too, continued to smile despite his car's appalling reliability. In Mexico it was enough for him to label his RB14 "cursed".

This year, Esteban Ocon is the recipient of our special award. Coming from an ordinary background, he has fought his way to the top by proving his natural talent at every turn, earning his place in manufacturer support programmes, first at Lotus then Mercedes. By mid-season, as Force India went into administration, Lawrence Stroll stepped in to buy the team.

His son, Lance Stroll, then became a shoo-in for Ocon's seat in 2019 alongside Sergio Pérez. Ocon embarked upon the final races of 2018 knowing his options were limited. On social media, Ocon quelled a tirade of Stroll abuse from fans, calling on them to show respect and pointing out that, despite their different backgrounds, he and Stroll were united in their passion for driving.

Esteban deserves praise and recognition for his grace and courage, all regardless of what happened on track in Brazil.

Esteban Ocon: "The way that I've approached this year has always been positive - there is much worse in life that can happen. Being here, in this fantastic world in Formula 1, racing with the best cars, the best drivers in the world is a great place to be - and so I can't complain. I've met some good people over the years and I'm enjoying the work I'm doing. My goal is still to be world champion one day, so I won't give up on anything I do."