In an up-and-down season, there were a few flashes of the late-Ferrari-era Sebastian Vettel – clattering into Esteban Ocon in Bahrain, spinning by himself at the Silverstone restart, another spin at Zandvoort, unsettled by the nearby Robert Kubica – but he seemed revitalised in new surroundings.
PLUS: Why re-energised Vettel isn’t just making an impact at Aston Martin
After taking a few races to gain confidence with the Aston package, he produced a standout drive in Monaco where his experience paid off handsomely.
Then came the podium in Baku and (lost) near-win in Hungary, where a small error going too fast into the pits meant he missed the slim chance to undercut Ocon.
