How F1's 'best season' unfolded

"Two exceptional and very different drivers in terms of their mentality, their character, their style of driving," four-time F1 champion Alain Prost told broadcaster Canal Plus. "It was magnificent... and it might just be the best season ever." Here's how it all unfolded:

BUSINESS AS USUAL

Hamilton triumphs in Spain in May for a third win in four races to lead Verstappen by 14 points.

MONACO MISHAP

Verstappen secures an excellent win to take the championship lead for the first time.

BLOWN CHANCE

Verstappen crashes after a blown tire in Azerbaijan. From the restart, Hamilton makes an astonishing error and goes straight off track. Neither scores points.

VERSTAPPEN'S SURGE

Verstappen leaves Austria in control after three straight wins put the Red Bull driver 32 points clear.

SILVERSTONE SHAKE-UP

The season turns upside down in a flash at the British Grand Prix when Hamilton clips pole-sitter Verstappen and sends him crashing out on lap 1. Despite a time penalty, Hamilton wins to shred Verstappen's lead to eight points.

HAMPERED IN HUNGARY

With Hamilton on pole, Verstappen gets nudged off the Hungaroring circuit on lap 1 following an error from Hamilton's teammate Valtteri Bottas. Verstappen finishes ninth and Hamilton takes second to go eight points clear.

FARCICAL FINISH

A bizarre race in Belgium ends with Verstappen crawling at a snail's pace behind a safety car on a circuit drenched by heavy rain. Pole-sitter Verstappen successfully completes two laps to earn 12.5 points. Hamilton winds up third and his lead is cut to three points.

BRIGHT ORANGE FUTURE

Roared on by orange-clad home fans Verstappen wins the Dutch GP from pole to move three points ahead of Hamilton－who takes a bonus point for fastest lap.

MONZA MAYHEM

Tensions boil over at the Italian GP in Monza. In a terrifying collision, Verstappen's car lands on top of Hamilton's Mercedes. Hamilton is unharmed but Verstappen shows no sportsmanship in striding off with the Briton still in the car. Verstappen moves five points ahead thanks to two sprint-race points.

SEESAW BATTLE

In heavy rain in Russia, Hamilton enjoys a record-extending 100th win and reclaims the overall lead by two points. But Verstappen drives well from the back of the grid to finish second. He takes the lead back from Hamilton with a second-place finish at the Turkish GP.

AMERICAN INTRIGUE

Verstappen wins in the United States and Mexico to move 19 points ahead. Then everything changes again in Sao Paulo, where Hamilton wins despite starting from 10th. Verstappen finishes second but two extra points from the sprint race soften the blow and he leads by 14 points.

LEWIS ON THE CHARGE

Hamilton triumphs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia to pull level with Verstappen heading into the last race. Tensions rise as Hamilton calls Verstappen "crazy" following their Jeddah joust, when the Dutchman should have started from pole but clipped the wall on the last turn of his final qualifying lap.

ABU DHABI DRAMA

"Lap 58" in Abu Dhabi will go down as one of the most dramatic finishes in sports history. Hamilton is cruising until Nicholas Latifi's crash brings out a safety car, and after much confusion, the race restarts on the final lap with Verstappen on new tires. The 24-year-old takes his chance and surges past Hamilton to claim his first F1 world title.

Agencies Via Xinhua