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Lewis Hamilton v Sebastian Vettel: The story of 2017's title fight so far

How this season's battle for the world championship between Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel has unfolded, race by race...

March 26: Australian GP
Mercedes and Hamilton entered race one as favourites despite a winter of technical changes and headline-grabbing Ferrari form in testing.

But it was Ferrari who converted their impressive pre-season pace into victory in Melbourne. Vettel started behind Hamilton on the front row but it quickly became evident that Ferrari's race pace was superior, with the German running longer on his first stint while his rival struggled behind Verstappen after an early stop. Vettel had a 10-second advantage at the chequered flag.

"It's going to be a very tightly-fought championship," said Sky F1's Damon Hill. "This is too tight to call."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 25
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 18

April 9: Chinese GP
Two races, one win apiece for the drivers already emerging as clear championship rivals. But while Hamilton eased to a lights-to-flag victory after a damp start, Vettel's race was wholly compromised by a stop for slicks under the Virtual Safety Car - dropping as low as sixth.

However, the four-time world champion gave an early indication that wheel-to-wheel racing and overtaking was possible in the new-for-2017 cars, passing Ferrari team-mate Kimi Raikkonen as well as both Red Bulls to recover to second.

"It's going to be one of the closest, if not the closest, fights I've experienced," Hamilton predicted.

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Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 43
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 43

April 16: Bahrain GP
It was Valtteri Bottas who secured pole in Bahrain, and Hamilton quickly paid the penalty for his poor Saturday in the race. Not only was he passed by the second-row-starting Vettel off the line, but he was then stacked behind Bottas in the pits and impeded Ricciardo in the process. That triggered a five-second penalty, and without that he may well have pushed Vettel closer - though the Ferrari's race pace was mighty once again.

"Vettel could so easily have won the first three races rather than two," said Sky F1's Martin Brundle. "Equally, Hamilton could have won them all too. It's that close."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 68
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 61

April 30: Russian GP
A first pole of the season for Vettel, heading an all-Ferrari front row, but the four-time world champion was immediately overtaken by Bottas' Mercedes off the line. The Finn duly held his nerve to lead until the end to stamp his mark as a championship contender, even holding off a ferocious Vettel charge in the closing stages.

But it wasn't all bad for Ferrari - Hamilton was a lowly fourth, and off the pace all weekend.

"I can't explain it," said Hamilton. "I have some feelings and some ideas but lots of work will be done to figure it out."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 86
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 73

May 14: Spanish GP
F1 2017 finally delivered a direct head-to-head duel between Hamilton and Vettel in Barcelona - and it didn't disappoint. Vettel jumped the pole-sitting Hamilton off the line and extended his race advantage to nearly eight seconds, but Hamilton closed to within a second of the German after a cleverly timed final Mercedes pitstop.

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Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton had to battle hard to win the Spanish Grand Prix, going head to head with the Ferrari of Sebastian Vettel who finished in second place

That allowed Hamilton to attack on the soft tyre and, after making contact at Turn One after the pit-exit, he made a move stick as Vettel struggled on a slower compound. It was a pulsating battle, and it was game on in the championship.

"It was the rawest fight I can remember," admitted a jubilant Hamilton.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 104
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 98

May 28: Monaco GP
The Monaco GP was a damage limitation operation for Hamilton, with Ferrari in a class of their own while he started down in 13th after being knocked out in Q2 in a strangely uncompetitive W08 - labelled a "diva" by Mercedes' management. Hamilton finished the race in seventh and was happy with that, telling his team, "let's take these points guys", instead of attacking Carlos Sainz's Toro Rosso.

A bigger story was playing out in front, meanwhile, with Vettel's victory clouded in controversy after he overtook Ferrari team-mate Raikkonen in the pits after running for five laps longer than the Finn.

"This was Ferrari's perfect result," commented Brundle. "Right now, it's beginning to look like Ferrari have the upper hand in every respect."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 129
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 104

June 11: Canadian GP
Mercedes recovered in Canada, and then some, as Hamilton converted pole into a comfortable victory - which he described as "a beautiful Sunday drive".

There was drama behind him, however, with Max Verstappen storming from fifth to second at the start, making contact with Vettel's Ferrari. That forced Vettel into a two-stop strategy and he recovered from 18th in a wounded Ferrari, taking advantage of Force India in-fighting and a brake failure for Raikkonen to finish fourth.

"To come here and deliver what we've delivered is a great blow to the Ferraris," said Hamilton.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 141
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 129

June 25: Azerbaijan GP
The title race was always going to have flash points, but nobody expected tensions to boil over quite like this. Behind Hamilton and the Safety Car, Vettel felt he was brake-tested by the Briton before racing resumed and the pair made contact. Irate, the Ferrari driver then, incredibly, pulled up alongside Hamilton and swerved into his car.

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While waiting for the re-start under the safety car, Sebastian Vettel hits the back of Lewis Hamilton, then remonstrates with him by bumping into the Mercedes

Vettel earned a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for his antics, while Hamilton's quest for victory was denied after being forced to stop due to a loose headrest. Bizarrely, Vettel extended his title advantage over Hamilton after finishing a place ahead of him in fourth, while Daniel Ricciardo won an enthralling race.

The FIA investigated Vettel but opted against taking any further action after the apologetic German "admitted full responsibility". An apoplectic Hamilton, however, had already branded his rival's behaviour as "dangerous", "disgusting" and "disgraceful". The gloves were off in the title fight.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 153
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 139

July 9: Austrian GP
Two weeks after the Baku bedlam, Hamilton received another blow in Austria as a gearbox penalty meant he started from eighth. Vettel started on the front row behind Bottas, and very nearly caught the Finn on the last lap, while Hamilton was similarly frustrated behind Daniel Ricciardo's Red Bull as he missed out on a podium. But Vettel had the last laugh as he extended his title advantage to 20 points.

"I gave it everything I could," said Hamilton. "I take heart and just move on. It's been a difficult weekend."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 171
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 151

July 16: British GP
Hamilton arrived at Silverstone under fire from the press after missing the London Live event, but he left with a record-equalling fifth British GP win and just a one-point gap to Vettel.

But while Hamilton's home race was serene and relatively untroubled, Vettel struggled behind Raikkonen and Bottas in the race before a dramatic late puncture dropped him from fourth to seventh.

"I don't understand why the British hero was being beaten up before his home grand prix," said Mercedes chief Toto Wolff.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 177
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 176

July 30: Hungarian GP
Mercedes may have reigned supreme at Silverstone but F1 2017 had already proved that Ferrari's package was more suited to a high-downforce track, and Hungary was no different. Vettel secured pole and a lights-to-flag victory, though he was helped by Raikkonen's protection from second as he struggled in a wounded Ferrari.

Hamilton, meanwhile, surrendered third place to Bottas at the final corner after being let past his team-mate to attack the Ferraris. A selfless act - but would it be costly?

"We could lose a championship because of those three points," admitted Wolff.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 202
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 188

August 27: Belgian GP
Much like Spain - although not quite as dramatic - Belgium was another head-to-head battle between the championship rivals. Once again, Hamilton just had the edge. Vettel stayed within two seconds of the pole-sitter throughout the whole race, and was agonisingly close to overtaking the Briton following a post-Safety Car race restart. But Hamilton, running on slower tyres, just about held on to reduce Vettel's title lead to seven points following the summer break.

"I was waiting for him to have an error and he probably was waiting for me to have an error," said Vettel. "The quality was very high."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 220
2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 213

September 3: Italian GP
A masterclass in the wet on Saturday, a mature drive in the dry on Sunday. This was Hamilton's race and Mercedes' weekend. It was a disappointing home Grand Prix for Ferrari as both drivers were out-qualified by a Force India and a Williams, with Vettel finishing more than two and a half seconds adrift of Hamilton's pole lap. Vettel managed to salvage a podium place but was 36 seconds behind Hamilton, who now held the outright lead in the standings for the first time in 2017.

"It was almost embarrassing to see the difference between Mercedes and Ferrari," admitted Ferrari president Sergio Marchionne.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 238
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 235

September 17: Singapore GP
It was supposed to be a track that suited Ferrari. It was supposed to be one of Mercedes' weakest races of the season. It was supposed to be Vettel's great chance of taking control of the championship again. But all that went out of the window within a matter of seconds in Singapore, with the pole-sitting Vettel crashing into and eliminating Verstappen and Raikkonen from the race after trying to cover off the front-row-starting Red Bull off the line.

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Watch as both Ferraris and Red Bull's Max Verstappen crash out of the Singapore GP, gifting Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton the lead in wet conditions

Hamilton, from fifth on the grid, made the most of the mayhem as he stormed into second through Turn One, and then watched Vettel spin and crash out. He converted that advantage into a race victory - a huge swing of momentum for Hamilton and Mercedes.

"After his bumper cars in Baku, this was his second poor judgement which could well have cost Vettel the world championship," said Brundle.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 263
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 235

October 1: Malaysia GP
An engine failure before qualifying and a back-of-the-grid start in the race was hardly ideal for Vettel after his Singapore slump, but the German managed to recover to fourth in Malaysia before a bizarre in-lap crash - and was thankful that the Red Bulls halted Hamilton.

Hamilton started on pole but was overtaken by a charging Verstappen early on - with the title leader admitting he didn't want to risk fighting the Dutchman - and finished in second place. But Ferrari will have been ruing their reliability struggles - Raikkonen didn't even get to start the race from second - as their pace looked stronger than Mercedes'.

"We've done an exceptional job with what we have," said Hamilton. "There are some really big problems which I can't really explain to you.

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 281
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 247

October 8: Japanese GP
The final nail in the coffin for Vettel's championship bid? While he may not have expected to beat a supreme Hamilton in Suzuka - he started on the front row but was nearly half a second adrift of his rival in qualifying - Vettel would have hoped to at least keep his title hopes alive.

Instead, a spark plug failure meant he was forced to retire after just four laps, while Hamilton held off Verstappen for a race win and a 59-point title advantage.

"I could only have dreamed of having this kind of gap," said Hamilton. "I was excited to have a good race with Sebastian here but he's been incredibly unfortunate."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 306
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 247

October 22: United States GP
Vettel keeps the 2017 championship alive. Just.

The German started on pole behind a bang-on-form Hamilton, and a storming start helped him overtake the Mercedes into Turn One. But while the Ferrari surged away in these circumstances, it only took Hamilton six laps to gain first position back, something he held for the rest of the afternoon.

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Having lost out to Sebastian Vettel at the start of the US GP, Lewis Hamilton retakes the lead on lap 6.

Vettel slipped back, struggling with his tyres, and eventually moved to a two-stop strategy, held off Verstappen, overtook Bottas, and was eventually allowed past Raikkonen for second place. But Hamilton won by more than 10 seconds and can claim the title in Mexico if he finishes fifth.

"Lewis is really on top of his game at the moment," said Wolff. "Since the summer he has made no mistakes."

Drivers' Championship standings

Position Driver Team Points
1 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 331
2 Sebastian Vettel Ferrari 265

October 29: Mexican GP
To be continued...

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