For the very first time in Formula 1’s almost 70 year-long history, 3 different teams have each won 3 races after 9 rounds of the season. This fact sounds completely pointless, but it does highlight the division between the top three teams and the rest of the field – the last time any team other than Mercedes, Red Bull or Ferrari won a race was in early 2013 – about 5-and-a-half years ago.
This has led to the emergence of what is being called “The Peasant’s World Championship” (a phrase initially coined by Daniel Ricciardo in 2016), which basically is Formula 1 without the top 3 teams, and it’s probably the best way to enjoy Formula 1 at the moment. Due to the field being made up of only 14 cars, the old points system used between 2003 and 2009 is used – ie. 10 points for a win, and only the top 8 cars score points.
So what, you ask?
The results so far this year are something to behold – 7 different race winners in the first 9 races, and a championship leader that has not won any of them. Carlos Sainz currently heads the Peasants’ World Championship, with Nico Hulkenberg close behind in second. While podiums in real F1 have always eluded the German driver, he has stood on the podium in the Peasants’ World Championship every time he has finished a race this season.
Let’s recap the season so far, shall we?
In Australia, we saw Alonso and McLaren FINALLY return to the top step of the podium, with his plucky teammate Vandoorne taking up the final step of the podium. “Now we can fight!” Alonso cheered to his team over the radio directly after securing his fabulous win. Sadly, McLaren have not returned to the lofty heights of the Australian race since, with Alonso only managing 2 podiums as of F1’s visit to Austria. As a result, McLaren are languishing in 4th place in the Peasants’ World Championship – just ahead of Sauber.
Bahrain was perhaps the surprise of the season so far – Toro Rosso picked up a stunning win with Pierre Gasly. McLaren were forced to wonder what could’ve been, with Honda genuinely impressing everyone in the paddock for the first time since their return to the sport in 2015. Kevin Magnussen made up for Haas F1’s mistakes at the Australian Grand Prix with a solid 2nd place finish, with Hulkenberg completing the podium.
In China, we saw Renault come to the fore, with Hulkenberg visiting the podium once again – but this time on top. Teammate Sainz managed his first podium finish of 2018, while Toro Rosso sadly could not repeat the heroics of Bahrain, and failed to score any points. This would mark a turning point in the season, as Renault started to show their true colours as the peasants’ frontrunners.
In Azerbaijan we saw another chaotic race on the streets of Baku that saw the ever-unlucky Hartley earn his first points of the season. Force India opened their winning account with a solid drive from the ever-reliable Sergio Perez. Hulkenberg managed to slap the wall and wreck Renault’s chances for the second year in succession – Baku most certainly isn’t his favourite place to race at.
Kevin Magnussen drove a lonely race to victory in Spain, where the Haas was clearly the best car among the peasants. Sadly, his teammate could not manage more than 3 corners in the race – truly a tough start to the season for Romain Grosjean!
Monaco saw a French 1-2 with Ocon grabbing a “pretty in pink” win for Force India, and Gasly in a close second. Hulkenberg made up for his Baku and Spain retirements with his fourth visit to the podium. The Vice President of Honda was so impressed with Gasly’s performance in Bahrain and Monaco that he arranged for the 22 year-old to be given a brand new Honda NSX, which was delivered to the hands of the new owner within a handful of days.
Renault maximised their result in Canada – a circuit where Mercedes and Ferrari-engined cars were expected to dominate. Hulkenberg led the bumblebee Renaults to a stunning 1-2. The moment was arguably made even sweeter by the fact that the race in Montreal (with a massive French-speaking population) was won by a French manufacturer. Grosjean managed his first points of the season here too, so all things considered, it was a great day to be French.
The French team’s form would follow them to France, however Kevin Magnussen in the Haas would deny them the 1-2, and they’d have to finish in 2nd and 3rd respectively. The young Leclerc would continue to impress in the lowly Sauber, with his 5th points finish in a row. It’s not hard to see why Ferrari has their eye on him for 2019.
Haas would finally get retribution for their wheel nut chaos of Australia in Austria. Grosjean finally broke his duck in terms of peasant wins with a flawless drive, with his teammate Magnussen coming home in second. It was a race to forget for Renault, though they still lead the championship by a healthy margin, with Sainz ironically leading his teammate even though he is yet to take his first peasant win of 2018.
Here are the standings and results as of Austria – we’re in for a belter of a season, even if Renault seems to be running away with it in the Constructors’ Championship:
