The 2018 title fight F1 could have had
Even though it was wrapped up with a round to spare, the battle for ‘Class B’ honours went back and forth throughout the year, with many teams and drivers sharing success. In the end, there was a worthy winner, who won’t be recognised in the history books.
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Nine winning drivers, six victorious teams, half a dozen championship contenders and no way of knowing who would lead the way on any given race weekend. Formula 1's unofficial 'Class B' championship, comprising the seven teams outside the big three that duked it out in the midfield, created a dramatic, if disconnected, subplot during the 2018 season.
Had it been the battle for outright victory, this would have gone down as an all-time classic season, even though 'champion' Nico Hulkenberg clinched the title with a race to spare when you reshape the season with Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull eliminated. For the purposes of this story all results reflect a revised classification for each race disregarding those 'big three' teams, in an era that has an unusually distinct chasm between the lead group and the rest.
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