The 2018 Formula 1 season had plenty of highlights both on and off-track. From football celebrations to first lap crashes, and donuts to daring table stunts, take a look at our choices for the best fan-generated videos of the year!
1. Vettel crashes out at home
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=daJMLXcdc-M
Was this the moment when Sebastian Vettel’s title hopes began to fade? The German Grand Prix was far from Vettel’s finest moment of the year. As he crashed out from the lead in the difficult damp conditions, Lewis Hamilton won the race and re-took the championship lead; a lead which he never relinquished for the rest of the year. This angle from the crowd shows the Ferrari driver’s home crowd’s mixed reactions to the season-defining moment.
2. Ericsson’s big crash at Monza
Marcus Ericsson suffered one of the most ferocious crashes of the 2018 season during Free Practice 2 for the Italian Grand Prix. The moment was captured from the grandstand, showing the intensity of the impact and subsequent barrel rolls. Everyone was thankful to see the Sauber driver walk away uninjured.
3. World Cup fever at Silverstone
Football fever reached its peak at this year’s British Grand Prix, which fell on the same weekend as England’s quarter-final World Cup match against Sweden. This view from Silverstone’s main stage shows F1 fans’ reactions as the whistle blew on the match which confirmed England’s place in the semi-final.
4. Donuts in Abu Dhabi
As the 2018 F1 season came to a close in Abu Dhabi, so too did Fernando Alonso’s 17-season tenure in the sport. Fittingly, he, Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel performed donuts on the pit-straight after the race at the Yas Marina Circuit. This view from the crowd captures the moment the three drivers, with 11 World Championships between them, gave the 2018 season the perfect send-off.
5. The Red Bull’s clash in Baku
It always seemed like Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen wouldn’t make it through their time as Red Bull team-mates without colliding with one another, and so it transpired at this year’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. This video shows the moment the team’s race was ruined as Ricciardo clattered into the back of Verstappen. There’s some brilliant slow-motion footage here too!
6. Turn 1 crash at Spa
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JpxqX5knllU
The first lap of the Belgian Grand Prix has seen some enormous pile-ups over the years and 2018 provided yet another. Triggered by Nico Hulkenberg missing his braking point, Fernando Alonso was catapulted over the top of Charles Leclerc – who was very thankful to have had the halo on his car. This view from the grandstand shows the chaos unfolding.
7. Tifosi goes wild at Monza
Kimi Raikkonen took pole for the 2018 Italian Grand Prix after setting the fastest ever lap in F1 history. Unsurprisingly, the tifosi were ecstatic as Vettel crossed the line to set provisional pole, closely followed by Raikkonen who went even faster!
8. Lap 1 crash in Canada
There were a number of large accidents on the first laps of Grands Prix in 2018. One of the biggest was at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, when Brendon Hartley found himself with nowhere to go as he collided with home favourite Lance Stroll at Turn 6, putting both of them out of the race. There’s an impressive amount of synchronised filming from the grandstand in this video!
9. Oranje Army goes wild for Max
At more and more races we see Max Verstappen’s fans lining the track and filling the grandstands in their unmistakable orange clothing. They were out in force at the Austrian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s home event, to witness Verstappen take the fourth victory of his career. Here’s the view from the ‘Verstappen Village’ as the Dutchman crossed the line to seal the win!
10. Drunk fans in the rain at the Hockenheimring
And finally… what do you get when you combine a sudden downpour, a long line of benches and some slightly intoxicated F1 fans? The answer is in the above video. We fully expect ‘belly sliding’ to be a part of the Olympic Games in the near-future. These guys will surely be medal winners!
