Formula 1 in 2018: The F1 year in 12 pictures

February: Snow stops play

Image: Pre-season testing at the Circuit de Catalunya in early winter is halted by snow. Picture by Jerry Andre, Sutton Images.

March: The Formula 1 year dawns

Image: Valtteri Bottas takes the Mercedes for an early-morning spin on Day Two of the final pre-season test at Barcelona. Picture by Jerry Andre, Sutton Images.

March: Not so bullish

Image: Daniel Ricciardo walks away from his broken-down Red Bull during the season-opening Australian GP. Midway through the season, Ricciardo would stun the paddock by walking away from Red Bull too. Picture by Kalisz, Sutton Images.

April: The friendly rivals

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Image: A year on from their clash in Baku, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel share a handshake after Azerbaijan GP qualy. Despite an intense fight for the title, Hamilton and Vettel remained respectful rivals. Pictures by Andrej Isakovic, Getty Images.

April: When team-mates go wrong

Image: Red Bull team-mates Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo collide during the Azerbaijan GP, ending the race of both drivers. Picture by Sutton Images.

July: The turning point

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Image: A gut-wrenched Sebastian Vettel bends double after crashing out of the lead of the German GP in July, triggering a 30-points swing in Lewis Hamilton’s favour. The title race was never the same again. Picture by Hasan Bratic, Sutton Images.

August: Painting over the car cracks

Image: What's that car? Layered in aerodynamic flow-vis paint, the Williams is driven in mid-season testing at Hungary by Robert Kubica as the team try to find a cure for their struggles. Picture by Mark Sutton, Sutton Images.

August: The saintly halo

Image: Fernando Alonso's McLaren car, hit from behind at the start of the Belgian GP, bounces off the halo on Charles Leclerc's Sauber. The safety device was made mandatory on all F1 cars at the start of 2018. Picture by Mark Thompson, Getty Images.

August: The Force awakens

Image: Just a month after the team entered administration, both cars of the re-born Racing Point Force India outfit challenge for the lead of the Belgian GP. Picture by Manuel Goria, Sutton Images.

September: The greatest show in F1

Image: Or at least the greatest podium spectacle. The Monza crowd gathers beneath the podium ceremony for the Italian GP. Picture by Mark Thompson, Getty Images.

November: Just champion

Image: The Mercedes team celebrate wrapping up a fifth consecutive Constructors’ Championship title following Lewis Hamilton’s victory in the Brazilian GP. Picture by Charles Coates, Getty Images.

November: The long goodbye

Image: After his final race in F1, Fernando Alonso is given a hug by Abu Dhabi GP victor Lewis Hamilton – his team-mate during a single, tumultuous season ten years earlier at McLaren. Picture by Lars Baron, Getty Images.

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