Lewis Hamilton Crowned 2019 Formula 1 World Champion

Lewis Hamilton was in Paris on Friday, 6 December, to collect the 2019 FIA Formula 1 World Championship trophy for drivers - his sixth title at the pinnacle of the sport.

On the glittering night, in which all the FIA motorsport champions of 2019 were honoured, the Mercedes driver hailed his last campaign as his finest. And here is why...

After nearly nine months and 21 races, the curtain has finally fallen on the 2019 F1 season. Just like last year, and the year before that, and… well, three times before that, it has ended with Hamilton as the driver’s world champion, having put together a campaign that might be his most remarkable yet. 

Want proof? Just look at the numbers:

413 – driver’s championship points, breaking the F1 record previously set by… you guessed it, Lewis Hamilton, who had 408 in 2018. In case you were wondering how he fared under previous scoring systems, he would’ve had 147 points under the 10-point system from 1991-2002, 136 under the 9-point system used from 1961-1990, and 131 points under the system used from 1950-1959.

87 – points ahead of his closest competitor, teammate Valtteri Bottas, just a single point behind his career-best winning margin from last year. That said, given how much better Bottas started this season – 87 points and two wins after the first four races, compared to 40 points and no wins to start 2018 – that margin is even more impressive this year, and a testament to how Hamilton got stronger as the season went on.  

2 – races remaining in the 2019 season, when Hamilton sealed the championship with second at the 19th round in Austin, Texas. This was the third-straight year in which Hamilton won the title with two races still to go.  

11 – wins, matching his career-best tally from 2018 and 2014.  

17 – podiums, rare was the sight of Hamilton having an “off-day”, only being caught-out in Austria, Germany, Singapore and Brazil. Indeed, of those four, you could argue he was only at-fault in Hockenheim and Interlagos.

5 – pole positions, his worst such showing since his first year at Mercedes in 2013. Challenged by Max Verstappen, the Ferrari pairing of Charles Leclerc and Sebastian Vettel, and the aforementioned Bottas, the Briton was often made to do his talking on Sundays in 2019, and as this next stat will attest, he did exactly that.

8 ­– wins from off pole, which amounts to 73% of his victories. His previous best was five (46% of all wins) in 2014, which shows just how good he was this year in races. If you’re looking for a stat to argue 2019 was the best season of his career, this is probably the one to do it with.  

33 – consecutive points finishes, stretching back to the 2018 British Grand Prix, an F1 record and his second such 33-race streak, the first coming between the 2016 Japanese and 2018 French Grands Prix.

1 – Grand Chelem, aka Grand Slam, at the final race in Abu Dhabi. A performance that ensured Hamilton signed-off the season with a bang, it gave Hamilton the sixth of his career, putting him one ahead of Michael Schumacher and Alberto Ascari, and two away from Jim Clark’s record of eight. Moreover, it coming in the last round, with the championship safely in the bag, should be an ominous sign for his rivals heading into the 2020 season.

6 – Driver’s World Championships, putting him one ahead of Juan Manuel Fangio, and just one behind Michael Schumacher. Will he make it seven next year? A lot can happen in twelve months, but you wouldn’t bet against it. 

Upon receiving his award from FIA President Jean Todt, watched by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff and driver Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton said of his season: “It’s been the best year I’ve ever had in my career. I’m really proud of what we’ve achieved as a team. 

"To come into a sixth year, to have fought for a world title at the front and sustained the performance we have collectively I think has been amazing. And on the driver front, I’m definitely very happy with my performance this year. 

"There’s been lots of great races, the last few years have been intense with Ferrari, but having another team up there in the loop has made it more challenging for all us," added the 34-year-old.

(Report by Ben Sevens)

The six-time champ reflects on another momentous season#F1 @LewisHamilton pic.twitter.com/sL8CgK2F4o

— Formula 1 (@F1) December 7, 2019