Twelve races down and nine to go—but right now, the Formula 1 circus takes a well-deserved summer break during this hectic 2018 season. Both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships have been more closely fought this year than in the previous years of total Mercedes domination, so now’s a good time to look back on what’s been happening.
Let’s start with the constructors’ standings. For the first time in F1’s turbo-hybrid era, the Silver Arrows haven’t broken away completely from the chasing pack—in fact, the Ferrari SF71H is regarded as the better package than the Mercedes W09. The defending champions are still leading the team battle with 345 points, but Ferrari are close behind with 335 points. In third place, Red Bull Racing has so far scored 223 points.
In the drivers’ championship, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel are on a race against each other for a fifth world title, which will put either of them on equal footing with Juan Manuel Fangio. Hamilton currently has the advantage, with 213 points over Vettel’s 189. That 24-point gap is the biggest we’ve seen all year. Kimi Raikkonen, who has been enjoying a highly competitive season, is in third place with 146 points, followed by compatriot Valtteri Bottas, who has scored 132 points. Red Bull drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen complete the top six with 118 and 105 points, respectively.
Here’s a short recap of the first half of the season, with a focus on the leading contenders: