4th place – 2018 season

In Numbers

Points – 408 (88 ahead of 2nd place Vettel with 320)

Race wins – 11 (52% of 21 races)

Podiums – 17 (81%)

Pole Positions – 11 (52%)

The winning margin of the 2018 season is the greatest Hamilton has enjoyed so far, and mainly a result of his consistent driving in the second half of the season. Bottas had no wins this year, leaving Hamilton to battle Vettel with effectively no rear guard. By the chequered flag at Belgium, it was five wins apiece for the two title contenders.

From then on out, it was Hamilton in near-constant “Hammertime” mode until Abu Dhabi. He won six of the remaining eight races; five of these from pole position. During the same period, Vettel managed zero of each. It was a decimating victory by Hamilton. He showed what he would do when anyone was audacious enough to dare to challenge his throne.

3rd place – 2017 season

In Numbers

Points – 363 (46 ahead of 2nd place Vettel with 317)

Race wins – 9 (45% of 20 races)

Podiums – 13 (65%)

Pole Positions – 11 (55%)

This season was the first of the Vettel vs. Hamilton head-to-heads. It speaks volumes about Hamilton’s ascendence when we realize that only three seasons ago, Vettel had more titles than him. After finishing runner-up to the now-retired Rosberg, as a result of his Malaysian engine failure, Hamilton was now the undisputed number one at Mercedes. The team was now his to lead.

Vettel led the championship for the first half of the season with both champions matching each other for wins by the midseason break. Just as it would be in 2018, Hamilton took it all in the second half. Ferrari did have that incident in Singapore, which some say was the nail in the coffin. But Hamilton did turn on the afterburners too. It was just as much his triumph as it was Ferrari’s capitulation.

2nd place – 2008 season

In Numbers

Points – 98 (1 ahead of 2nd place Massa with 97)

Race wins – 5 (28% of 18 races)

Podiums – 10 (56%)

Pole Positions – 8 (55%)

After the heartbreak of 2007 and losing out on the opportunity to become a rookie champion, Hamilton quickly showed it wasn’t just a fast car that propelled him so high in the championship. Gone was Fernando Alonso, and McLaren had two drivers just exiting their first F1 seasons. Ferrari had the better car, and Felipe Massa had the better teammate. There were seven race winners throughout the year. It may have ended up a Massa vs. Hamilton showdown, but it was a full four-way fight with Robert Kubica and Kimi Raikkonen until halfway.

2008 was a real unpredictable scrap for the crown, in particular throughout the closing rounds. Massa was gifted a victory at Spa from steward penalties, despite finishing 15 seconds behind Hamilton on track. The Brazilian was leading the Singapore Grand Prix before the bizarre fuel hose incident resulted in no points. The nailbiting final race had Hamilton hold his nerve in the changing conditions to snatch the title away from Massa on the final corner of the last lap. If it weren’t for this title, many could consider Hamilton only capable of winning in a dominant car. It may be his least dominant championship, but it was his most challenging.

1st place – 2014 season

In Numbers

Points – 384 (67 ahead of 2nd place Rosberg with 326)

Race wins – 11 (58% of 19 races)

Podiums – 16 (84%)

Pole Positions – 7 (37%)

The points do flatter Hamilton more than they should for 2014. Not that the championship was undeserved, but this was the season of “double-points”; where the final race was seemingly twice as important as the preceding eighteen to “heighten the spectacle”. It was a terrible idea in theory and even more so in practice with Hamilton getting a whopping 50 points to Rosberg’s zero in the finale.

But Hamilton’s half-decade wait to have his name on the champion’s trophy was won in style. He had to overcome more reliability issues than his teammate. A pit-lane start in Hungary from which he fought to finish ahead of Rosberg in the race was a particular highlight. He may have been out-qualified by his German rival over the season, but his Sunday performances were immense. Hamilton was on the podium in every race his car finished. He won four of the first five races and six of the final seven to triumphantly lift the title.