2019 Formula One World Championship

The 2019 FIA Formula One World Championship was the motor racing championship for Formula One cars which marked the 70th running of the Formula One World Championship . It is recognised by the governing body of international motorsport , the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), as the highest class of competition for open-wheel racing cars . Starting in March and ending in December, the championship was contested over twenty-one Grands Prix . Drivers competed for the title of World D...

Lewis Hamilton successfully defended the World Drivers' Championship for the second year running, winning his sixth championship title at the United States Grand Prix . Mercedes successfully defended the World Constructors' Championship, securing the title for the sixth consecutive year at the Japanese Grand Prix to tie Ferrari's record from 1999 to 2004 .

Ten teams, with two drivers each, competed in the championship in 2019. [ 3 ] All teams competed with tyres supplied by Pirelli . [ 4 ]

Across the season, two drivers drove as a test or third driver in free practice sessions. Nicholas Latifi drove for Williams at six Grands Prix, while Naoki Yamamoto drove for Toro Rosso at the Japanese Grand Prix . [ 5 ]

Red Bull Racing ended its twelve-year partnership with Renault and switched to full-works Honda engines. [ 18 ] In doing so, Red Bull Racing joined sister team Scuderia Toro Rosso in using Honda power after the latter joined the Japanese manufacturer in 2018 . Neither team was recognised as Honda's official factory team under the terms of the agreement. This was the first time Honda had supplied more than one team in the sport since the 2008 when Honda supplied both its own full works team and ...

Racing Point F1 Team completed their transition from the Racing Point Force India identity that they used after a consortium led by Lawrence Stroll purchased the assets of Sahara Force India in August 2018. [ 20 ]

Sauber was renamed Alfa Romeo Racing in an extension of the sponsorship deal that began in 2018 , [ 21 ] though continued to operate from the same base in Hinwil and under the Swiss racing licence . [ 22 ] The Sauber name disappeared entirely from the Formula One grid, but was still used in the Formula 2 and Formula 3 support categories with Charouz Racing System for one year. [ 23 ] [ 24 ] The Sauber name would return to the Formula One grid in 2024 as Kick Sauber after the expiration of the Al...

Haas F1 Team signed a title sponsorship agreement with energy drinks manufacturer Rich Energy for 2019 before the end of the 2018 season. [ 26 ] However, this agreement was later terminated on 9 September 2019, due to a series of off-track disputes between Haas and Rich Energy, and legal issues for Rich Energy. [ 27 ]

Sainz, who was on loan to Renault in 2018 , did not have his deal with Red Bull renewed and subsequently moved to McLaren to replace two-time World Drivers' Champion Fernando Alonso , [ 34 ] who had earlier announced that he would retire from Formula One in 2019. [ 35 ] [ 36 ] Sainz was partnered with 2017 European Formula 3 champion and Formula 2 runner-up Lando Norris , [ 37 ] who replaced Stoffel Vandoorne , who would move to Formula E to race with the Mercedes-affiliated HWA Racelab , as wel...

Charles Leclerc left Alfa Romeo Racing after one year with the team, replacing 2007 World Champion Kimi Räikkönen at Ferrari. [ 40 ] Räikkönen returned to Alfa Romeo, previously named Sauber , with whom he had started his career in 2001 . [ 41 ] He was partnered with Antonio Giovinazzi , who made two starts for Sauber when he replaced the injured Pascal Wehrlein in 2017. [ 42 ] [ 43 ] Marcus Ericsson moved to race in the IndyCar Series in 2019 with Schmidt Peterson Motorsports but remained with ...

Lance Stroll would join the Racing Point UK F1 team, [ 46 ] replacing Esteban Ocon , who joined Mercedes as a reserve driver. Ocon shared the role of simulator driver with Stoffel Vandoorne . [ 47 ] [ 48 ] Reigning Formula 2 champion and Mercedes junior George Russell joined Williams [ 49 ] replacing Stroll. Sergey Sirotkin would depart Williams due to his backer deciding to stop sponsoring Williams due to the lack of performance and development of the car. [ 50 ] Sirotkin returned to Renault as...

In the build-up to the Belgian Grand Prix , Red Bull Racing announced that Pierre Gasly would be demoted to Toro Rosso and Alexander Albon would be promoted in his place so that his performance would be evaluated in view of the team's 2020 line-up. [ 53 ] [ 54 ] The decision to demote Gasly was criticised as he had only completed twelve races with the team, while Albon and Toro Rosso team-mate Daniil Kvyat had both previously been released from contracts with the Red Bull Junior Team and Red Bul...

Race Director and Technical Delegate Charlie Whiting died days before the opening race of the season in Australia. [ 60 ] Deputy Race Director Michael Masi was named as his successor for Race Director. [ 61 ] [ 62 ]

In a bid to improve overtaking, teams agreed to a series of aerodynamic changes that affect the profile of the front and rear wings. The front wing endplates were reshaped to alter the airflow across the car and reduce the effects of aerodynamic turbulence and winglets above the main plane of the front wing have been banned. The slot in the rear wing was widened, making the drag reduction system (DRS) more powerful. [ 63 ] The agreed-upon changes were drawn from the findings of a working group s...

The mandated maximum fuel levels were raised from 105 kg (231 lb) to 110 kg (240 lb) to minimise the need for drivers to conserve fuel during a race. [ 67 ] Driver weights are no longer considered when measuring the minimum weight of the car. This change was agreed to following concerns that drivers were being forced to lose dangerous amounts of weight in order to offset the additional weight of the post- 2014 turbo-hybrid engines. [ 67 ] Drivers who weigh less than 80 kg (176 lb) are required t...

The regulations introduced a bonus point to the driver (and the constructor) that sets the fastest lap in a race. The point is only awarded if the driver is classified in the top ten at the end of the race. This makes 2019 the first time since 1959 that a bonus point gets awarded for setting the fastest lap. [ 69 ] [ 70 ]

The FIA introduced a new standard for driver helmets with the intention of improving safety. Under the new standard, helmets will be subjected to a more thorough range of crash tests aimed at improving energy absorption and deflection as well as reducing the likelihood of objects penetrating the helmet's structure. All certified helmet manufacturers were required to pass the tests in advance of the 2019 championship to have their certification renewed. Once introduced to Formula One, the new sta...

The season started with the Australian Grand Prix , won by Valtteri Bottas from second on the grid in dominant fashion, finishing 20 seconds ahead of Mercedes teammate Lewis Hamilton who himself only narrowly beat Red Bull 's Max Verstappen to second. [ 77 ] Verstappen's third place marked the first podium for a Honda powered car in over 10 years, last achieved at the 2008 British Grand Prix . [ 78 ]

The second race of the season was the Bahrain Grand Prix . Ferrari topped every practice session and then went on to lock out the front row in qualifying. Charles Leclerc earned the first pole position of his career by setting a lap time 3 tenths of a second quicker than his teammate Sebastian Vettel . In the race, Leclerc fell down to 3rd in the 1st corner behind Vettel and the championship leader Valtteri Bottas . However, he then climbed back up the order to take the lead despite being told b...

At round three, the Chinese Grand Prix which was noted as F1's 1000th race, Hamilton led away at the start and won the Grand Prix, resulting in him taking the championship lead by 6 points over his teammate Bottas, whilst Mercedes extended their lead over Ferrari, becoming the first team since Williams in 1992 to start a season with 3 consecutive 1–2

finishes. [ 80 ] Pierre Gasly set the fastest lap and finished in sixth, after pitting with 3 laps remaining as Ferrari got their second podium of the season with Vettel.

At the next round, the Azerbaijan Grand Prix , it was a different story. In the first practice session, George Russell 's Williams made contact with a drain cover down the straight on the floor after Charles Leclerc, who was fastest in the session because it was suspended, also made contact with the drain cover but with his left front tyre. The next two practice sessions were all about Leclerc, being fastest in all three practice sessions. In qualifying, Pierre Gasly was fastest in the first ses...

At the Spanish Grand Prix , Valtteri Bottas dominated the entire qualifying session, finishing in first place each time, thus giving him his third consecutive pole of the 2019 season. Hamilton, however, got past him quickly at the first corner in the race. The safety car was deployed on lap 44 after a collision between Racing Point's Lance Stroll and McLaren's Lando Norris, which ultimately did not change the positions of the top 6 runners. Mercedes finished again for their fifth 1–2 finish as H...

At the Monaco Grand Prix , teams and drivers honoured the memory of F1 legend and Mercedes non-executive chairman Niki Lauda , who had died the week before the race. Mercedes painted their halos red and other teams and some drivers memorialised Lauda on their cars and helmets. Mercedes locked out the front row of the grid again, with Hamilton on pole and Bottas in second. During the race, Red Bull's Max Verstappen was released unsafely from his pit box and impeded Valtteri Bottas, resulting in a...

At the Canadian Grand Prix , free practice was eventful. Championship leader Lewis Hamilton made contact with the wall at turn 8, damaging his car, and some other drivers made contact not just there, but also at the Wall of Champions . Qualifying 2 was red-flagged after Kevin Magnussen slammed into the Wall of Champions, which also affected some racers trying to improve their times. At the end of qualifying, Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel won pole position ahead of Hamilton. Vettel led from the star...

At the French Grand Prix , Mercedes dominated the free practice sessions. Hamilton was summoned to the stewards' office for rejoining the track unsafely, forcing Red Bull's Max Verstappen off the track, but no penalty was issued. Mercedes locked out the front row again in qualifying with Hamilton on pole and Bottas in second. Mercedes secured their sixth 1–2 of the season with Hamilton finishing 18 seconds ahead of Bottas, and Leclerc completing the podium less than a second behind Bottas. At th...

At the Austrian Grand Prix , some drivers spun off the track in free practice due to wind. In qualifying, Leclerc secured his second pole position. Verstappen was promoted to second and Bottas third after second-placed Hamilton was given a grid penalty for impeding Kimi Räikkönen in Q1. In the race, Leclerc led away as Verstappen lost a few positions at the start. However, Verstappen found power for his car and managed to come back, passing Leclerc with just a few laps left. An investigation fol...

Vettel ended a winless streak stretching over a year to win at the Singapore Grand Prix for Ferrari, the team's third consecutive victory. Leclerc had qualified on pole ahead of Hamilton and Vettel and led the first stint. However, a timely pitstop by Vettel saw him unintentionally undercutting Leclerc with an outlap three seconds faster than Leclerc's inlap. Hamilton then tried an overcut that did not work, limiting him to a fourth-place finish, as Mercedes were off the podium with both cars. H...

Leclerc took his fourth consecutive pole at the Russian Grand Prix , but at the start of the race, it was Vettel who led, contradicting a pre-race agreement that had been discussed. Vettel led until he made his first stop on lap 26, but an engine component failed just after his stop, prompting his retirement (the four-time World Champion even demanding the return of V12 engines as in the 1990s on the team radio as he ground to a halt). This prompted a Virtual Safety Car, during which both Merced...

At the Japanese Grand Prix , free practice sessions 1 and 2 went as scheduled on Friday, with Mercedes topping each of the sessions. Because of Typhoon Hagibis , all events for Saturday, with the exception of qualifying, were cancelled with qualifying instead being rescheduled to Sunday morning. Vettel and Leclerc both locked out the front row for a Ferrari 1–2, with Bottas and Mercedes not far behind. The Red Bull drivers of Verstappen and Albon finished with the exact same Q3 time, but Verstap...

At the Mexican Grand Prix , Leclerc took his seventh pole position of the season, ensuring that he would end 2019 with the most poles of any driver. Hamilton won his tenth Grand Prix of the season, after a first-corner touch with Verstappen that saw them both crossing the grass at turn 2. Verstappen lost several positions, and in fighting his way back past Bottas sustained a puncture that effectively ended his challenge. Sebastian Vettel finished second and Valtteri Bottas third. Although Hamilt...

At the United States Grand Prix , Bottas won from pole followed by Hamilton and Verstappen. Second place in the race was enough for Hamilton to claim his sixth World Drivers' Championship making him the second most successful Formula One driver in terms of Championship wins behind Michael Schumacher . [ 94 ]

Points were awarded to the top ten classified drivers and the driver who set the fastest lap. The points were awarded for every race, using the following system: [ 98 ]

The point for fastest lap was only awarded if the driver was classified in the top ten for the race. Two fastest lap points were not awarded this season as Kevin Magnussen and Valtteri Bottas set the fastest lap but did not classify within the top ten in Singapore and Brazil , respectively. As Daniil Kvyat and Nico Hülkenberg ended the season with an identical number of points, a count-back system was used as a tie-breaker, with the driver's best result used to decide the standings. [ 98 ]