It is an interesting development. It shows hows HAM has changed / improved, he used to totally drop off after winning the WDC

Another F1 Championship year has come to an end and another year that Lewis and Mercedes have triumphed.

As you say, Clive. Lewis has matured a lot and is definately the king of F1 at the moment. The newbies are biting at his feet, so he is going to have to watch his back in 2020.

A quick summary team by team.


Mercedes:

Impressive performance from Mercedes although it hasn't always gone their way this year. They ballsed up the German GP but overall have been very consistent all year long, hence championship number 6.


Lewis - was in a class of his own for the majority of the season, he quickly unraveled the performance improvements seen by Bottas in the early part and then took a commanding lead which never looked like waning.

Bottas 2.0 - was certainly an improvement and he did manage to keep Lewis honest for a lot of the year, although whilst he is quick in qualifying, he just doesn't have the edge on racing that Lewis does. He isn't bad wheel to wheel, but needs to improve his consistent pace throughout the race to catch Lewis.


Ferrari:

Ferrari had flashes of brilliance but overall I think they will be disappointed with this year. Winter testing gave the impression they were going to be the team to beat, but that car just didn't work across a lot of the circuits and then the fuel questions came out. They also need to sort out the relationship between Vettel and Leclerc if they want to avoid a serious fall out in 2020.


Vettel - was a disappointment, there were glimpses but overall, like 2018 and 2017, I suspect Vettel will go away from this year pretty disappointed in his achievements. Personally I think he is done, I can't see how he could turn it around now unless the 2020 Ferrari car is a major dominance, but then he has his team mate to contend with. Will he be Number 1 at Ferrari next year?, I doubt it.

Leclerc - was superb throughout the year. We have to remember that this was his first year in a top team and only his second year in F1. He whooped Vettel quite frankly. Once he has sorted out his consistency he will be a strong contender. I could even see him eclipsing Verstappen.


Red Bull:

Slow start to 2019 for Red Bull althougth them and Honda have made major inroads as the year has gone on. If the Red Bull car continues improving on the trajectory we have seen this season, they could be real challengers next year.


Verstappen - is excellent but still a hot head, and too arrogant for his own right on occasions. Whatever Christian Horner thinks or says, he is not on a par or even close to Lewis yet. He is trying, he is quick and has lots of potential, but needs to get rid of the ragged edges.

Albon - was excellent considering this is his first season in F1. I think he has potential to be up there with the big boys for an extended period. His qualifying performance needs to improve but his overall race craft isn't bad. Next year will be the year to see how he fairs against Vestappen for a whole season. If he can get on top of qualifying and improve his race pace he has a chance.


McLaren:

By far the biggest improvements have been seen by McLaren this year. They really should be very pleased with their performances and gains throughout the campaign. Hopefully they can take all of the positives into 2020.


Sainz - is excellent, I see him as a very good driver with lots of potential, but I am not sure I see him as a superstar of the future. He reminds me a lot of Perez, someone who doesn't set the world on fire, but can just get the job done.

Norris - for his first year in F1, he should be uber proud of himself. He out qualified his team mate throughout the campaign and has a lot of potential. I like him, he could go a long way.


Renault:

What can you say, 2018 was going so well, but the 2019 car was a bit of a dog from the get go and although it has improved, they have never really looked like contenders and have lost there next in line status to the top teams. Hopefully 2020 will be better, but Renault really need to make their minds up whether they want to continue as a F1 outfit.


Ricciardo - shame he left Red Bull in some ways, but I can see why because it had become the Vestappen show. Ricciardo lost none of his flare throughout 2019, although I did see his made few more mistakes, which I guess could makes sense given he was so much further down the field. Hopefully if the 2020 car is any good he will do well. He is too good to become an also ran.

Hulkenburg - well this could become his last season in F1, shame if that is the case because he has always been good. Although it is shocking that he has never been on the podium. Hopefully he will return, but I am not sure he will.


Toro Rosso:

Not bad, they have appeared to be closer to the front team, Red Bull throughout the year, but they will never be a top team.


Kvyat - he's certainly improved from his first chance in F1, but I don't see him ever being anything more than an ok driver.

Gasly - shame he couldn't hack it at Red Bull, but since he returned to Toro Rosso he seems to have found himself a lot quicker than Kyvat did in the same circumstances a couple of years back. Will he ever be back in a top team, I very much doubt it.


Racing Point:

This was always going to be a learning year for the team. With all of the upheaval of 2018, they were never going to do great, but you could see improvements throughout the year.


Perez - as described above, a safe pair of hands. He is a good driver and has single-handedly kept the Racing Point team going for a while now.

Stroll - if it weren't for Daddy's money, I doubt we would see him in F1. He has glimpses of skill but his qualifying is diabolical and his race craft average at best. But with Daddy running the team, I am sure we will still see him stay in F1.


Alfa Romeo:

They had flashes of excellence earlier in 2019 but then appeared to drop off as the year went on.


Raikkonen - the oldest driver in F1 but still quality. He single-handedly dragged that car around for the majority of the early season to places it shouldn't have gone.

Giovinazzi - he has improved a lot as the year has gone on. Initially I wasn't sure but he has stuck it out and hopefully 2020 will prove to be even better.


Haas:

Their race car has been diabolical this year, they have had opportunities to improve it but nothing has happened. Hopefully 2020 will be better because it has been embarrassing if you compare their campaign to 2018.


Magnussen - he has always had potential to be good, but makes a lot of unforced errors and is too pushy on track which gets him no fans. If the car is better next year hopefully he will improve.

Grosjean(moan) - how on earth is he still in F1 let alone got a new contract for 2020 when the likes of Hulkenberg is out of contract and available?, the guy is useless on a good day and he moans and moans and moans.


Williams:

The worse car and team of 2019 by far and no end in sight. Whilst I have always had a soft spot for Williams because of their 80s and 90s success. I think it might be time to call it a day.


Russell - a potential star of the future, even in the Williams he has managed to do some interesting things in F1 and I think he has real potential. Reminds me of Mansell a bit with his monotone personality.

Kubica - glad he came back to F1 but shame he was so far off the pace throughout the year, and then started all the rubbish with Williams about getting unfavourable parts etc. think that let him down. Off he goes out of F1.

Oh really, I have thought that Leclerc is the better of the two throughout the majority of this year.

Not bad times by both.