(Episode 2/7) Highlights of the 2018 season

>>Find the 1st part<

The superb qualification ofOr with in Belgium

Esteban Ocon (Racing Point Force India) has often been in the news this year. At the heart of summer, the future of the Normand was darkening due to his replacement by Lance stroll in 2019. Future also blocked at Renault because of Daniel Ricciardo or at Williams, the Frenchman had to show his worth on the track to reassure himself.

In this context which is not easy for morale, his third time in Spa-Francorchamps qualifying (Belgium) constitutes its performance of the year. Already the Toboggan des Ardennes is not an easy task in ideal conditions, if you add an unexpected downpour and the stress of the last flying lap of Q3, you get a great moment of tension!

“This result is a real relief after the difficult times experienced in recent days by the team who are now behind us”, explained the one who was even going to be close to first place at the start.

The retirement ofAlonso

Officially, the Bull of Asturias has left the Formula 1 at the end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. But the Spaniard knows how to create suspense and fuel the news with short sentences. Waiting for a hypothetical return (if the performance of McLaren leap), Fernando Alonso has delighted fans throughout the season, more thanks to his radio communications than by his results.

This awesome tribute to @alo_oficial from @F1 really is a must watch. #GraciasFernando pic.twitter.com/n0CbU3Kwg6

- McLaren (@ McLarenF1) November 24, 2018

Freewheeling in Abu Dhabi, the double world champion even managed the feat of cutting a chicane three times in a row! Despite his relaxed attitude, the winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans crushed his teammate Stoffel Vandoorne in the qualifying exercise (21-0).

The hanging Verstappen-Ocon

It's not the most impressive image of the year, but certainly the most commented on. At the start of the 44th lap of the Brazilian Grand Prix, Esteban Ocon (Racing Point Force India) tries to regain his lap behind leader Max Verstappen (Red Bull). Nobody wants to give in, and stubbornness leads to an accident between the two men.

During the post-race weigh-in, the Dutchman, who lost an almost won victory, did not hesitate to express his way of thinking about the Frenchman, and to declare: “We lost everything because of an idiot. »

The 3 GP2015 Series champion defended himself as follows: “I had more speed than him and I wanted to take another turn because I was stuck behind him », which the video below shows well.

Leclerc's thunderous debut

In less than a year, Charles Leclerc went from rookie status to Ferrari driver. An exceptional and deserved rise for the Monegasque, which allowed Sauber to remobilize after a phase of decline. Sixth in Baku (Azerbaijan) from his fourth outing, the 2017 champion of Formula 2 made the most of his Sauber C37 by placing in Q3 several times during testing.

Continuing our countdown to 2019…

After a sensational rookie year with Sauber, @Charles_Leclerc will make the jump up to @ScuderiaFerrari next season #F1sToWatch pic.twitter.com/YL1jEnccDx

- Formula 1 (@ F1) December 23, 2018

His solid work during the end-of-season tests in Abu Dhabi convinced Ferrari. Sebastian Vettel had better watch out...

The abandonment of Hag at home

Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) made a number of blunders in the second half of the season, but it all ultimately came down to his mistake at Hockenheim (Germany). So comfortably in the lead, Scuderia leader trapped by sudden downpour. “It wasn’t a huge driving error, I didn’t do anything really serious”, he analyzed.

The scenario is catastrophic. The 25 victory points are wasted, and are mainly recovered by Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes), yet started 14th! The latter would never again relinquish control of the general classification, while Sebastian Vettel would spin in Italy, Japan and the United States.