Mercedes still ruled the world — but underneath their silver shield, the future was already clawing its way out. Leclerc arrived. Sainz thrived. Gasly was reborn. And in Brazil, all hell broke gloriously loose.
The 2019 Formula One season — the 70th — will be remembered less for the title fight (spoiler: there wasn’t one) and more for the chaos blooming just behind it. Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes clinched yet another championship double — their sixth in a row — with alarming ease. But the real electricity came from the midfield, from the next generation, from the madness that broke out when the big three finally stumbled.
In a season defined by dominant precision up front, the heart of the action was elsewhere — in battles for scraps that felt like gold, in rookies punching giants, and in a São Paulo Sunday that turned into a telenovela written by speed demons.
Key Highlights of the 2019 Season
– Mercedes dominance continues: Hamilton wins 11 races, secures sixth title in Austin.
– Charles Leclerc breaks through: Wins in Spa and Monza, outqualifies Vettel 10 times in a row.
– Ferrari civil war: Team orders, defiance, and a crash in Brazil between Leclerc and Vettel.
– Verstappen evolves: Three wins, including crushing drives in Austria and Brazil. No longer wild — now weaponized.
– Brazilian GP mayhem: Double Ferrari crash, Hamilton spins Albon, Gasly holds off Hamilton for P2. Sainz takes first podium — from P20.
– McLaren resurgence: Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris become the best bromance on the grid — and seriously quick.
– Gasly redemption arc: Dropped by Red Bull mid-season, bounces back with podium for Toro Rosso.
– Norris, Albon, Russell debut: A golden rookie class steps in.
– Kubica returns after eight years away: Emotional comeback with Williams.
The Story of the Season — Calm at the Top, Fire Everywhere Else
Let’s not pretend there was a title fight.
Lewis Hamilton was in full command — cool, clinical, collecting wins like vintage watches. Mercedes had built a car that was never the fastest on paper, but always the sharpest on Sundays. Bottas played the loyal knight. The rest? Trying to break into the fortress.
But 2019 wasn’t about the throne. It was about the next wave pounding on the castle gates.
Charles Leclerc lit the spark. He came into Ferrari as the polite prodigy, then blew past Sebastian Vettel in one-lap pace, ten straight poles in the second half of the season, and two back-to-back, gladiator-style victories:
– Spa: His first win. Emotional, composed, relentless — a race dedicated to his lost friend Anthoine Hubert.
– Monza: The first Ferrari win at home since 2010. He defended like a lion. Italy wept. The Tifosi roared.
But the dream turned messy. Vettel didn’t yield. Leclerc didn’t flinch.
Ferrari’s season became a Shakespearean feud — peaking with a double DNF in Brazil, the two Ferraris colliding like planets in slow motion.
Meanwhile, Max Verstappen was sharpening his blade.
He delivered arguably the most complete season of his early career — winning in Austria with that iconic charge past Leclerc, then dominating in Germany’s wet chaos, and owning Brazil, where he fended off Hamilton in a wheel-to-wheel masterclass.
And then came the midfield.
Oh, the glorious, unhinged midfield.
Carlos Sainz led McLaren’s resurgence — cool, clever, consistent. And when the gods smiled in Brazil, he rose from 20th to 3rd, claiming his first podium (retroactively, after penalties).
Pierre Gasly, demoted from Red Bull mid-season, roared back in style — finishing second in Interlagos, drag-racing Hamilton to the line like his career depended on it.
Lando Norris became a fan-favorite meme machine — and, quietly, a killer qualifier.
Alex Albon impressed in his Red Bull cameo, until Hamilton spun him out of a sure podium in Brazil.
It was a year where the kids weren’t just alright — they were coming for blood.
Off-Track Drama — Shuffles, Shadows, and Silly Season
Red Bull pulled the trigger mid-season, dropping Gasly and promoting Albon after Hungary — one of the sport’s most brutal mid-year swaps.
Ferrari’s politics became increasingly public, with Mattia Binotto juggling egos while the team fumbled strategies and let wins slip.
Mercedes stayed ice-cold — but even they weren’t safe from the whispers: Was Toto planning a move? Was Hamilton talking to Ferrari?
The drama never stopped. It just shifted garages.
Season Summary & Results
Twenty-one races.
- Lewis Hamilton – 11 wins, 413 points (Champion)
- Valtteri Bottas – 4 wins, 326 points
- Max Verstappen – 3 wins, 278 points
- Charles Leclerc – 2 wins, 264 points
- Sebastian Vettel – 1 win, 240 points
Mercedes crushed the Constructors’ again: 739 points. Ferrari and Red Bull fought over scraps — and each other.
But the real story was the midfield:
– Sainz (96 points, P6), best of the rest.
– Gasly and Albon — same car, different fates.
– Norris, Russell, Albon — rookies with teeth.
Legacy — The Season That Forecast the Future
2019 was the transitional chapter — the year where the next generation moved from whispers to warning shots.
– Leclerc showed he wasn’t just talented. He was dangerous.
– Verstappen turned from wild child into weaponized assassin.
– Sainz built the case for a big-team seat.
– Gasly proved redemption is real.
– McLaren rejoined the fight.
And in Brazil, all those threads snapped, tangled, and exploded into one race that reminded us why we love this madness.
2019 didn’t change the crown. But it changed the kingdom.
The new blood was here.
And they weren’t waiting for permission.
