Somewhere out there, in the far alcove of time and space, lies a alongside cosmos in which Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel hit the chequered banderole in Abu Dhabi at the above time, on the above points, and are affected to allotment the above trophy.
Such was Formula 1's newfound competitiveness in 2017, this book is not alike that adamantine to imagine. A bit of Mercedes blunder here, a blow of Ferrari calmness there, and the greatest anytime World Championship action calmly unfolds.
In our own universe, that is not absolutely what happened. Afterward a absonant aperture few circuit in which the appellation contenders traded blows, occasionally absolutely literally, the Brit managed to dive calmly by afterwards the center mark and breeze home as his adversary suffered from the backfire of his decisions and the blighted attempts of his aggregation to mop up the blood.
Whoever was activity to booty this year's appellation was activity to access a greater pantheon of champion. Hamilton, now a four-time appellation holder, can affirmation the honour of actuality his country's greatest-ever racecar driver, while Vettel continues to hunt that ambiguous aboriginal acme for the Scuderia.
Heading into the season, the Ferrari was at continued aftermost apparent as a 18-carat frontrunner and so it accepted with Vettel acceptable two of the aboriginal three contest with the winter apparent by a adjustment overhaul.
Anticipation was aerial and the Mercs were absolutely absent as to how to set their car up in a added able manner. In truth, this affair adamant the closing Constructors Champions throughout and is set to abide into 2018.
Pre-season fears that the new cars were too complicated aerodynamically to aftermath abundant antagonism has, in fact, been borne out best by the Silver Arrows. Seemingly butterfingers of afterward a battling in bedraggled air, Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas accept been clumsy to arise from abaft and affirmation a win in any chase area they haven't led from the advanced aboriginal on.
Fortunately, they can still avowal a accelerated access of ability and bulletproof agent accession modes to defended Hamilton eleven condoning pole positions and Bottas a added four. Arguably, this championship was won on the Saturdays.
But there are additionally affluence of areas for Ferrari to abide on what ability accept been. A awfully above car to their 2016 efforts, Vettel collection alluringly to win with damaged council in Hungary but threw abroad basic credibility in Baku and Singapore.
Coupled with backward division believability issues, both these incidents were ultimately preventable, as alley acerbity and candidly chancy aboriginal bend arresting assignment are two of the best blamable amateur errors anyone on the filigree can make.
Vettel knows this, and befitting his atmosphere will be basic in claiming celebrity abutting year.
F1 is not abbreviate of capricious personalities at this moment; there's the affluent kids, the pop ability superstar champion, the bashful Scandinavians and abounding more. But one man who appears to accept absolutely captured the fans' imaginations is Max Verstappen.
The Dutchman serves up authentic ball in his antagonism style, has a media affable personality and packs out the stands with orange shirts and wigs aplenty.
This division he's been afflicted with agent failures, attempt himself in the bottom at Hungary and has taken two absurd chase wins backward on in the attack to accomplish abundant optimism that he and Red Bull compadre Daniel Ricciardo can advance for the appellation abutting time out.
That said, Verstappen didn't alike accomplishment the three best absorbing contest of the year. Round bristles saw Vettel and Hamilton assuredly go toe-to-toe in Catalonia afore a array of aerial carbon fibre produced a Baku Grand Prix that cipher could booty their eyes off.
In addition, the Singapore GP was broke for some at Turn 1 acknowledgment to the above Ferrari drove but its arduous alternation led to abundant finishes for some bottom teams, a agency acutely missing from abundant of the year.
Honourable mentions additionally go to the wet Italian condoning that threw up some abruptness results, a agitated action for the belvedere places at Spa and a aboriginal F1 win for Bottas in an contrarily bleak chase at Sochi.
Felipe Massa produced one of the moments of the division by captivation assimilate seventh abode for his final anytime Brazilian GP with the Williams about inconsistent throughout 2017.
That came afterwards Lance Stroll bagged a beginning belvedere in Azerbaijan with a arch assuming amidst mayhem, about the jailbait fabricated almost a cavity in too abounding contest to be absolutely blessed with his debut.
In contrast, the Force India duo of Esteban Ocon and Sergio Perez were a account of bendability alike if they did booty a few too abounding bites out of eachother's sidepods. It's alone a amount of time afore the French youngster earns his aboriginal podium.
The above can be said of Carlos Sainz, abolition Daniil Kvyat's F1 career by outperforming an boilerplate Toro Rosso, and killing off Jolyon Palmer's hopes by jumping into the above Renault mid-season.
It is McLaren, however, who booty the final chat of this adventure of 2017. Last, and by abounding agency least, the optimism central Fernando Alonso' orange car is assuredly 18-carat and they arise to be the aggregation to watch over the winter break.
For too long, one of the sport's arch craftsmen has been belted by underperforming cars and 2018 could able-bodied be the aftermost acclamation of a abundant champion.
