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The 2018 Formula 1 season is just around the corner with Australia's Albert Park hosting the first race on March 25.
The Malaysian Grand Prix has been dropped off the Formula 1 calendar this year, still, 2018 will feature 21 races thanks to the return of the French and, the German Grands Prix.
The French Grand Prix in 2018, which will be the first since 2008, will see the return of the Circuit Paul Ricard. The circuit at Le Castellet, near Marseille, last hosted the French Grand Prix in 1990.
The German Grand Prix also returns to the championship after a one-year absence, creating F1's first-ever triple header in June.
Moreover, Azerbaijan Grand Prix has been brought forward to April, while, the Russian Grand Prix has been moved from April to the end of September.
21 races, 20 drivers, 10 teams, 2 new rookies and lots of action is expected in the new season with new rule changes that will change the identity of F1 forever.
The Halos are on, the tires are set and the drivers are ready to roll as we look at the Top 5 current Formula 1 drivers ahead of the 2018 season!
#5 Esteban Ocon, Force India
Mercedes protege Esteban Ocon, had an impressive 2017 season for Force India, scoring points in 18 of the 20 Grands Prix and finishing just one place and 13 points adrift of his experienced teammate Sergio Perez in the drivers' standings.
Although he was beaten on points by Perez, the 21-year-old was bang on target and had stand-out moments such as taking the fifth spot in qualifying at Monza, in his first full F1 season.
The ex-Manor driver was impressively consistent, scoring 43 points in the first 10 races and 44 in the second 10.
The French driver achieved his best results after the summer break as he finished sixth in Japan and the United States, before taking the fifth spot in Mexico.
Ocon is blessed with a remarkable finishing record and a bulletproof mentality - in the right car, he is quite capable of being a champion in future.
#4 Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull
In 2017, Daniel Ricciardo enjoyed more reliability than his young, highly-rated teammate Max Verstappen. Although his Red Bull was not on par with Mercedes and Ferrari as far as pace is concerned, still, the 28-year-old managed to pull off a strong season.
On the back of some aggressive but controlled overtaking, the Australian, who enters the final 12 months of his current deal, scored 32 more points, yet only beat Verstappen twice in the seven races they both finished.
The driver with six DNFs in 2017, triumphed in Baku but scored 56 fewer points than his 2016 campaign and ended in the fifth position in the drivers' championship.
Qualifying has traditionally been Ricciardo's strong suit but, it turned out to be his weakness during the 2017 Formula 1 season as he failed to match his performance from the previous year.
However, with improved reliability and a title-challenging car, Ricciardo should be able to better his nine podium finishes last season and perform at a higher level than ever before.
#3 Sebastian Vettel, Ferrari
2017 was supposed to be Sebastian Vettel's year, but, it ended in disappointment and frustration - once again.
Heading into the summer break following the Monaco Grand Prix, both Vettel and Ferrari were leading their respective championships.
However, the four-time world champion could not stay cool under pressure as the title rivals - Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel - came to blows in Baku.
A clearly miffed Vettel, while trailing behind the safety car, kissed Hamilton’s tail before pulling alongside the Brit and side bumping him.
Things really fell apart for Vettel in Singapore as a start-line crash also involving teammate Kimi Raikkonen and Max Verstappen meant gifting 25 points to Hamilton.
Vettel's 'Gina' was then struck with reliability woes in Malaysia and Japan as Hamilton wrapped things up in Mexico.
After three bad races in Asia, Vettel finished the year 46 points behind Hamilton in a title race that should have ideally gone down to the wire in Abu Dhabi.
Vettel and Hamilton are now tied at four world championships each and, are expected to mount a grand assault on the title in 2018, perhaps settling once and for all who is the greatest driver of the post-Schumacher era.
#2 Max Verstappen, Red Bull
Since making his debut in 2015 at the age of 17, Max Verstappen has established himself as one of the most promising talents in Formula 1.
Due to the lack of speed and awful reliability, the 20-year-old's Red Bull could not challenge the likes of Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel for the title, but, some electrifying starts and fearlessness ensured Verstappen's sixth-place finish in 2017.
The Dutchman was hit by a myriad of race-day technical problems as he ended up with seven DNFs in the 2017 Formula 1 season.
The Red Bull driver, who begins a newly-lucrative three-year term in 2018, secured wins in Malaysia and Mexico, the second and third of his career, ending 90 points behind leader Lewis Hamilton.
Although he was outscored by his teammate, Daniel Ricciardo, Verstappen out-qualified the Australian 13-7, putting down a marker for the future.
All in all, Verstappen proved that he is one of the finest talents to grace Formula 1 in recent years and with the right car underneath him in 2018, he is only going to get better and better.
#1 Lewis Hamilton, Mercedes
Gunning for his fifth world title in 2018, Lewis Hamilton, the 2017 champion, is now in the annals of Formula 1 history as one of its all-time greats.
Hamilton, who won nine races last season, collected an impressive 233 points from a possible maximum of 250 to retain the top spot.
With his fourth world championship, one more than Sir Jackie Stewart, the 33-year-old became the most successful British driver and surpassed Michael Schumacher’s record of 68 pole positions.
Heading into the summer break, Sebastian Vettel’s championship lead stood at 14 points and then, Hamilton produced a scintillating form through the final flyaways to put himself on the brink of glory, wrapping up his hardest-fought title to date in Mexico.
At the peak of his powers in 2017, the Mercedes driver saw off a resurgent Vettel in an equally strong Ferrari, winning his third title in four years with two races to spare.
