Since the 2014 season, Formula 1 racing has been dominated by one team, Mercedes AMG Petronas Motorsports (aka Team Mercedes). For the last four seasons, it wasn't a question of whether Mercedes would win the championship, it was more a question of which Mercedes would take the title. The Telegraph reports that Lewis Hamilton came out on top in 2014, 2015, and 2017, while his Mercedes teammate Nico Rosberg claimed the World Championship in 2016.
This season, Formula 1 has achieved what the NFL would call parity and Team Mercedes no longer dominates the world's top tier motorsport.
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel claimed the checkered flag in the first 2 races of the season, and in the third race, it was Red Bull Racing's Daniel Ricciardo with an exciting finish taking the top spot.
Formula 1: Top teams
Each race fields 20 cars but in reality, there are only three teams competing for the championship. The early favorite is Scuderia Ferrari with two former World Champion drivers, four-time champion Sebastian Vettel and former champion Kimi Raikkonen. Mercedes may not have claimed the checkers this season they are still a top tier program. Express UK suggests either one of the Mercedes drivers, Valterri Bottas or reigning champion Lewis Hamilton, are capable of winning the title this season.
The final team in consideration is Red Bull Racing. Even with an early win by Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull would be a long shot pick to take the title this season.
Formula 1: Others to watch
While the World Championship is based on points earned by an individual driver, the constructors standings are based on combining the total points earned by both drivers on a team.
In theory, the constructor points are a reflection of how well the engineers and mechanics are performing off the track, but with the mechanical dominance enjoyed by teams using Mercedes power units (aka the engines) the constructor standings have been skewed benefiting any team connected to Mercedes. Amongst the second tier teams, Force India has been the major benefactor of this skewed advantage.
As the reign of Mercedes comes to an end it is worth watching to see if Force Indian can maintain a high level of performance.
USA Today pointed out that in 2016 an American-based team jumped into Formula 1 competition. Gene Haas may be best known as the founder of Nascar's Stewart-Haas racing but he is quickly making a name for himself on the world stage. Powered by Ferrari, the Haas team is poised to have it's best season yet.
