Motor racing-Hamilton's road to his sixth F1 title

The following details how the Mercedes driver's season unfolded.

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AUSTRALIA, March 17

Valtteri Bottas took his first win since 2017, and fourth of his career, and banked an extra point for the fastest lap. Hamilton started from a record-extending 84th career pole position but lost out at the start.

Bottas 26, Hamilton 18

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BAHRAIN, March 31

Hamilton's 74th career win was also one of his luckier victories, the Briton handed the lead when Ferrari's Charles Leclerc had engine problems. Bottas scored his 1,000th point.

Bottas 44, Hamilton 43

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CHINA, April 14

Hamilton took over at the top after his second win of the season and sixth in China. Mercedes became the first team since Williams in 1992 to start the season with three successive one-twos. Bottas started from pole.

Hamilton 68, Bottas 62

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AZERBAIJAN, April 28

Bottas retook the lead, by a single point, with his second win of the season. The Finn started from pole position, for the second race in a row, and held off Hamilton at the start and in the closing laps. Mercedes became the first team to win the opening four races of a season one-two.

Bottas 87, Hamilton 86

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SPAIN, May 12

Bottas made it three poles in a row but Hamilton took the victory, his third in a row in Spain, to go back on top. He also set fastest lap. The Briton led from the first corner after starting second, with Bottas suffering clutch problems. The one-two was the fifth in a row for Mercedes, the best ever start to a season.

Hamilton 112, Bottas 105

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MONACO, May 26

Hamilton won from pole but Mercedes' run of one-two finishes ended, with Bottas third. The victory was tense, with Mercedes making a mistake in putting Hamilton on medium tyres at his sole pitstop. Bottas was second until a pitlane collision with Red Bull's Max Verstappen.

Hamilton 137, Bottas 120

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CANADA, June 9

Hamilton started and finished second but won after a five-second penalty was applied to Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel. The Briton's fifth win in seven races equalled Michael Schumacher's record of seven wins in Canada. Hamilton's mechanics had to race to repair an hydraulics problem before the start.

Hamilton 162, Bottas 133

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FRANCE, June 23

Hamilton's 79th career win, sixth of the season and fourth in a row also saw Mercedes celebrate their 50th one-two finish in Formula One, after sweeping the front row in qualifying for a record 63rd time. Hamilton led every lap from pole position.

Hamilton 187, Bottas 151

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AUSTRIA, June 30

Bottas marked his 50th race for Mercedes with third place, with Verstappen taking the victory. Mercedes' winning run ended at 10 in a row, eight this season. Hamilton damaged his front wing on a kerb and had to change it, finishing fifth.

Hamilton 197, Bottas 166

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BRITAIN, July 14

Bottas started on pole but Hamilton chalked up a record sixth British win, and his 80th in Formula One. He also took a point for fastest lap right at the end. The one-two was the seventh of the season for Mercedes.

Hamilton 223, Bottas 184

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GERMANY, July 28

A nightmare race for Mercedes in their 200th as a constructor. Hamilton started on pole but hit the wall and damaged his front wing, spun and finished 11th on track before being promoted to ninth after the Alfa Romeos were penalised. Bottas crashed out while chasing third place late in the race. Verstappen won.

Hamilton 225, Bottas 184

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HUNGARY, Aug 4

Hamilton chased down pole-sitter Verstappen from third on the grid, passing four laps from the end to win. Bottas started on the front row but lost out at the start. He then made contact with Charles Leclerc's Ferrari, dropping to last after an early stop before finishing eighth.

Hamilton 250, Bottas 188

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BELGIUM, Sept 1

Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took his first F1 win from pole position, with Hamilton second and Bottas third. The race weekend was overshadowed by the death of French F2 racer Anthoine Hubert.

Hamilton 268, Bottas 203

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ITALY, Sept 8

Bottas finished second, with Hamilton third. The Briton had started second, took the chase to race winner Leclerc but lost out as his tyres faded. He made a second stop for fresh tyres to set the fastest lap.

Hamilton 284, Bottas 221

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SINGAPORE, Sept 22

Hamilton finished fourth after starting on the front row. He equalled Michael Schumacher's record of leading 142 grands prix. Bottas ended up fifth in a race won by Ferrari's Vettel.

Hamilton 296, Bottas 231

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RUSSIA, Sept 29

Hamilton started on the front row and took his ninth win of the season, plus fastest lap, to go 73 points clear of Bottas. This was the team's eighth one-two of the year. Hamilton also set a record of 143 races led.

Hamilton 322, Bottas 249

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JAPAN, Oct 13

Bottas won, with Hamilton third. Mercedes secured a sixth successive constructors' title and were sure of becoming the first team to win both championships six years in a row. Hamilton's lead was trimmed to 64 points, with the Briton reducing the damage by taking a bonus point for fastest lap.

Hamilton 338, Bottas 274

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MEXICO, Oct 27

Hamilton extended his lead to 74 points with his 10th win of the season. Mercedes chalked up 100 wins as a constructor. Hamilton started third and did a one-stop strategy with a car damaged in a first-lap clash with Red Bull's Verstappen. Bottas crashed in qualifying, started sixth and finished third.

Hamilton 363, Bottas 289

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USA, Nov 3

Bottas started on pole, and needing a win to have any chance of staying in contention, while Hamilton lined up fifth. The Briton seized third place at the start and made a one-stop strategy work to take second place while Bottas won.

Hamilton 381, Bottas 314. (Reporting by Alan Baldwin, editing by Pritha Sarkar)