2019 Formula One World Championship — The Fall and the Phoenix
The season opened with a whisper and a warning.
Mercedes, serene behind the silver of the W10, had not only kept its crown — it had polished it.
But two new forces reshaped the year: Ferrari’s youth in Charles Leclerc, and Red Bull’s rebirth with Honda, driven by Max Verstappen.
What followed was a year of contrasts — a Mercedes machine that seemed inevitable, a Ferrari that oscillated between brilliance and heartbreak, and a Red Bull-Honda project that found its fire.
By November, Lewis Hamilton would rise to a sixth title.
But on the way there, 2019 delivered grief, grace, and the first roar of the sport’s future.
Round 1 — Australian Grand Prix (Melbourne, 17 March 2019)
Mercedes unveiled its authority. Valtteri Bottas launched perfectly, swept past polesitter Hamilton, and never looked back — fastest lap included, a statement win. Verstappen passed Vettel for third as Ferrari faded.
Winner: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Valtteri Bottas
Championship Lead: Bottas (+8 over Hamilton)
Round 2 — Bahrain Grand Prix (Sakhir, 31 March 2019)
Ferrari’s pace returned — Leclerc dominated until a late MGU-H issue cut power. A Safety Car spared him total disaster, but Hamilton stole the win, Bottas P2, Leclerc’s first podium P3. The sport met its new prodigy — and his first heartbreak.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+1 over Bottas)
Round 3 — Chinese Grand Prix (Shanghai, 14 April 2019)
F1’s 1000th World Championship race was clinical Mercedes: Hamilton led Bottas home for a controlled one–two. Ferrari swapped its cars mid-race; Red Bull pressed but lacked the legs.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Pierre Gasly
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+6 over Bottas)
Round 4 — Azerbaijan Grand Prix (Baku, 28 April 2019)
Order over chaos in usually-chaotic Baku: Bottas coolly converted pole as Mercedes sealed its fourth straight one–two. Leclerc’s recovery and fastest lap hinted at raw speed; Verstappen banked quiet points.
Winner: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc
Championship Lead: Bottas (+1 over Hamilton)
Round 5 — Spanish Grand Prix (Barcelona, 12 May 2019)
Mercedes perfection continued. Hamilton grabbed the start and never yielded; Bottas shadowed. Ferrari’s split strategies could not bridge the gap. Red Bull’s Verstappen P3 on merit.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+7 over Bottas)
Round 6 — Monaco Grand Prix (Monte Carlo, 26 May 2019)
Under the shadow of Niki Lauda’s passing, Hamilton delivered a defensive masterclass on worn tires to hold off Verstappen to the flag (Max received a time penalty for an unsafe release). Emotion threaded through parc fermé; the win felt like a eulogy in motion.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Pierre Gasly
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+17 over Bottas)
Round 7 — Canadian Grand Prix (Montréal, 9 June 2019)
Controversy defined Montreal. Vettel crossed the line first but was penalized 5s for rejoining unsafely while defending from Hamilton; the victory swung to Lewis. Ferrari’s protest changed nothing. The crowd booed, the record books did not.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Sebastian Vettel
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+29 over Bottas)
Round 8 — French Grand Prix (Paul Ricard, 23 June 2019)
Processional precision: Hamilton dominated, Bottas backed him up, Leclerc a distant P3. The W10 looked inevitable; the field, resigned.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Sebastian Vettel
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+36 over Bottas)
Round 9 — Austrian Grand Prix (Spielberg, 30 June 2019)
Heat, altitude, and the first crack in silver armor. Verstappen, after a poor start, hunted Leclerc and passed with a hard, late move three laps from home — Honda’s first hybrid-era win, Red Bull reborn, Leclerc stoic in defeat.
Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) • Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+31 over Bottas)
Round 10 — British Grand Prix (Silverstone, 14 July 2019)
A classic under changing skies. Hamilton won after a Safety Car neutralized Bottas’ early advantage; Leclerc vs Verstappen produced breathtaking wheel-to-wheel respect. Late contact between Vettel and Verstappen soured Ferrari’s day.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+39 over Bottas)
Round 11 — German Grand Prix (Hockenheim, 28 July 2019)
Chaos in the rain. Mercedes stumbled on its anniversary livery; offs, penalties, and pit errors left them point-less for Hamilton and only P9 for Bottas (after a crash). Verstappen triumphed amid carnage; Vettel surged from last to second — a rare joyful day in red.
Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) • Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+41 over Bottas)
Round 12 — Hungarian Grand Prix (Budapest, 4 August 2019)
Strategy jewel. Verstappen’s first F1 pole led to a duel; Mercedes switched Hamilton to a late two-stop, and Lewis caught and passed with four laps left — genius from the pit wall, ruthlessness on track.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+62 over Bottas)
Round 13 — Belgian Grand Prix (Spa, 1 September 2019)
A weekend of grief and grace. After F2 driver Anthoine Hubert was killed on Saturday, the paddock raced in mourning. Leclerc took his maiden win, fending off Hamilton late; he pointed skyward for his friend.
Winner: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) • Fastest Lap: Sebastian Vettel
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+65 over Bottas)
Round 14 — Italian Grand Prix (Monza, 8 September 2019)
The Tifosi’s catharsis. Leclerc withstood relentless pressure from Hamilton and then Bottas to deliver Ferrari’s first home win since 2010. The grandstands became a red sea; a new Ferrari hero had arrived.
Winner: Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+63 over Bottas)
Round 15 — Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay, 22 September 2019)
Undercut shock. Ferrari covered Hamilton, and the strategy flipped Vettel ahead of polesitter Leclerc; Sebastian ended his drought with a clever, controlled win. Ferrari’s first 1–2 of the year — but with political aftertaste.
Winner: Sebastian Vettel (Ferrari) • Fastest Lap: Kevin Magnussen
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+65 over Bottas)
Round 16 — Russian Grand Prix (Sochi, 29 September 2019)
Ferrari’s pact unraveled. Team orders between Leclerc and Vettel turned messy; then Vettel’s MGU-K failed, triggering a VSC that handed Hamilton track position. Mercedes executed perfectly; the red revival stalled.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+73 over Bottas)
Round 17 — Japanese Grand Prix (Suzuka, 13 October 2019)
Qualifying and race in one typhoon-shifted day. Bottas’ blistering launch beat both Ferraris; he controlled the tempo to win while Mercedes clinched a sixth consecutive Constructors’ Championship — an all-time record streak.
Winner: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+64 over Bottas)
Round 18 — Mexican Grand Prix (Mexico City, 27 October 2019)
High-altitude strategy. Verstappen’s Saturday penalty and early contact left him out of contention; Leclerc’s two-stop faltered; Hamilton nursed a long final stint to win with exquisite tire care.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc
Championship Lead: Hamilton (+74 over Bottas)
Round 19 — United States Grand Prix (Austin, 3 November 2019)
Bottas delivered a clean, decisive victory; Hamilton finished second to secure his sixth World Drivers’ Championship — one behind Schumacher. Calm celebrations, quiet awe.
Winner: Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Charles Leclerc
World Champion: Lewis Hamilton
Round 20 — Brazilian Grand Prix (Interlagos, 17 November 2019)
Mayhem and magic. Verstappen won brilliantly; behind, both Ferraris collided and retired, Gasly out-dragged Hamilton to the line for P2, and Sainz inherited McLaren’s first podium since 2014 after a Hamilton penalty. Pure, joyous chaos.
Winner: Max Verstappen (Red Bull-Honda) • Fastest Lap: Max Verstappen
Round 21 — Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (Yas Marina, 1 December 2019)
A serene epilogue. Hamilton sealed the season with pole, win, and fastest lap — total control under the lights. Red Bull-Honda looked ready for 2020; Ferrari turned inward; Mercedes’ dynasty rolled on.
Winner: Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) • Fastest Lap: Lewis Hamilton
Epilogue: The Year Between Eras
2019 belonged to Hamilton — not through weekly fireworks, but by relentless excellence. Bottas rediscovered steel, Leclerc became Ferrari’s North Star, and Verstappen proved Red Bull-Honda could win anywhere.
Ferrari’s flashes were unforgettable; its fractures, decisive.
And as the sun set in Abu Dhabi, the future felt nearer: Hamilton’s sixth, Verstappen’s rise, Leclerc’s ascent — the hinge between dynasties.
World Drivers’ Champion: Lewis Hamilton 🇬🇧 (Mercedes W10)
Constructors’ Champion: Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team 🇩🇪 (W10)
📚 Sources & References — 2019 Formula One World Championship
Primary Historical Records
Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) — Official Results Archive: 2019 Formula One World Championship. Race classifications, penalties (Canada, Germany, Brazil), parc fermé bulletins.
Formula One Management (FOM) — 2019 Season Archive. Lap charts, stint data, tire usage, Safety Car/VSC summaries.
Team & Technical Archives
Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 — W10 engineering briefs, race debrief notes (tire life models at Mexico, cooling packages at Austria).
Scuderia Ferrari — SF90 aero/PU evolution notes (Monza low-drag, Singapore cooling/undercut strategy).
Red Bull Racing / Honda — RB15–Honda integration reports; power deployment and altitude performance (Austria, Mexico).
Contemporary Reporting
Motor Sport Magazine (2019 Issues) — Grand Prix reports by Mark Hughes & Nigel Roebuck: “Ferrari’s Young Lion,” “The Hockenheim Storm,” “Hamilton’s Sixth.”
Autosport / Motorsport.com — Technical analysis (W10 front-end geometry, SF90 straight-line advantage; RB15 updates).
La Gazzetta dello Sport — Ferrari internal strategy coverage (Singapore undercut; Monza catharsis).
L’Équipe — “Verstappen–Honda: La Renaissance.”
The Times (UK) — “Hamilton’s Sixth Crown,” “Gasly’s Miracle in Brazil.”
Books & Longform
Alan Henry. Formula One: The Complete History (2020 ed.) — Chapters on the late-2010s hybrid era.
Mark Hughes. Engineering Victory: Inside the Hybrid Years — Strategy and tire-degradation case studies (Hungary, Mexico).
Adrian Newey. How to Build a Car (revised notes) — Addendum interviews on RB15/Honda transition.
Audio-Visual & Archive
BBC / Sky Sports F1 — 2019 season review features; Hockenheim and Interlagos long-form breakdowns.
FIA Heritage Films — “2019: Six for Hamilton.”
Red Bull Media House — Austria & Brazil behind-the-scenes.
