The pre-season testing form showed by Ferrari proved to be very much real as opposed to 2016 where it flattered to deceive, and Vettel duly won the first race of the year as Mercedes baulked under the pressure of having another team vying for the top spot. The W08 was incredible in qualifying, as every Mercedes has been, but the SF70H early on looked to be the more poised and consistent race car. A shorter wheelbase and an incredibly efficient chassis meant it was far more predictable than the Mercedes and had a wider operating window than the silver arrows. Coupled with Mercedes having to embed new boy Valtteri Bottas in the team, and Ferrari looked to hold a tiny advantage in the first few races.
Vettel lost out to Hamilton in China but struck back in Bahrain, and then lead the first Ferrari 1-2 in qualifying Russia and heading a 2-3 finish for the team, as Bottas jumped into title contention with an emphatic first career win, holding off Vettel in the dying stages of the race. As these two powerhouse teams fought for supremacy, Red Bull could only dream of doing similar. Expected to be the closest challenger to Mercedes pre-season, poor correlation with the car and factory and a still under powered Renault power unit saw them hoping for a fourth place finish at best, although a brilliant podium by Max Verstappen in China was an early highlight. Meanwhile, Hamilton and Vettel continued to fight it out at the front.
A wheel-to-wheel win in Spain for Hamilton lead to a nightmare weekend in Monaco, qualifying 13th after being caught out by yellow flags in Q2 ended with a seventh place finish in the race as he saw his rival lead a Ferrari 1-2 and open up a very healthy championship lead. But Hamilton fought back again in Montreal as Vettel finished fourth, a result of first corner contact with Verstappen, before the chaos of Baku saw Daniel Ricciardo take an unbelievable win and Williams Lance Stroll took an equally amazing podium finish.
Bottas took another win from Vettel in Austria as Hamilton finished fourth, the Briton striking back emphatically at Silverstone as both Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen suffered left front punctures. Vettel finished seventh, and the championship lead was down to one point. But he came back strong in Hungary, leading home Raikkonen and Bottas as Hamilton finished fourth. The battle was its hottest point, and it looked set to go all the way to Abu Dhabi.
As the season had gone on, many were asking whether the new rules had actually helped the racing. There was no doubting the speed of the new cars, nor was there any doubt as to the spectacle they put on trackside. But what mattered was the racing, and the number of overtakes had indeed taken hit. This was thanks to the huge increase in aerodynamics on the new 2017 beasts, the dirty air effect being much worse than in 2016. Some races were spectacular, Spain and Baku being the obvious highlights, but many still were not sold on the rule changes and as we look to 2018, they are still not sold. It may sound negative, but they are right to have their concerns...
As Formula 1 returned to action at Spa following the summer break, everyone was eagerly anticipating the continuing duel between Hamilton and Vettel and a flat out race at Spa between the pair of them only added to the hype. Sadly though, things were about to fizzle out for Vettel. Third in Monza was a disappointing result for Ferrari, but Vettel bounced back with a brilliant pole position lap in Singapore as Hamilton languished in fifth place. The Mercedes driver prayed for a miracle...and he got it. In the first ever wet night race, an error of judgement from Vettel caused chaos at turn one as he, Raikkonen, Max Verstappen and Fernando Alonso all crashed out of the race. A perhaps certain 25 points for Vettel was gone, as Hamilton opened up a 28 point championship lead in a race he probably shouldn't have won. An issue in qualifying in Malaysia, and another retirement in Japan were the final nails in the championship coffin, as Hamilton went over 60 points clear at the top of the table.
Even a resurgent Max Verstappen winning in Malaysia over Hamilton wasn't enough for Vettel. Verstappen won again in dominant style in Mexico, following contact between Vettel and Hamilton at the start of the race. Vettel may have finished in fourth, but it wasn't enough. Hamilton finished ninth and it was plenty to clinch his fourth world title and end Ferrari and Vettel's dreams. With three rounds to spare, the championship was over.
Vettel took some redemption in Brazil though, with Hamilton crashing out in Q1 the German beat poleman Bottas at the start to control the race and take his fifth win of the season. Bottas, himself recovering from a poor second half of the year, then took pole and the win in the final race of the year after one of the best drives of his whole career to end 2017 on a high, the year perhaps going out with a bit of a whimper with one of the less entertaining races of the year.
After such an incredible first half of the year it was a real shame for the championship battle to end so early. It had been such an enthralling and engrossing story line. Two of the best drivers of their generation were going head to head, in the two biggest teams and with controversy and drama every step of the way. But mechanical failures and an accident saw the year fizzle out in the final stages, ending one of the most intense title battles for years. We were all left to wonder what might have been. Vettel could have gone into the final round with a healthy championship lead, and even a distant third in Abu Dhabi could have been enough to secure his fifth title. Alas, it wasn't to be.
Of course there were plenty of fights through the midfield. The almost bitter rivalry between Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez at Force India was equally as exciting as the team once again finished 4th in the championship. Renault made huge progress to finish 6th in the standings and the exciting pairing of Nico Hulkenburg and Carlos Sainz could really deliver for them come the new season. And of course Max Verstappen went from strength to strength as the Red Bull improved, which will give Ricciardo something to think about this season.
But 2017 will be remembered for the titanic battle between two giants of the sport, before it then suddenly all came to a, literally, crashing halt. The season of red vs silver promised so much throughout the majority of it, but in the end we were left to rue what might have been. Here's hoping 2018 delivers on the promise that 2017 showed.
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