Winning the 2017 Formula 1 title was a significant milestone for Lewis Hamilton. From then, he had equalled Sebastian Vettel for the most championships on the grid.
Arguably, it was the greatest battle that the two ever had that year, let down by Ferrari’s shocking reliability towards the end of the season.
Mercedes gave Hamilton an excellent car throughout the season, which boasted strong straight-line speed and was always there at the end of races.
The first half of the season was an incredibly close and intense fight. After the Hungarian Grand Prix, Vettel had a 14-point lead.
But everything would change after the summer break, and the Silver Arrows’ development was much stronger.
The real turning point was the Singapore Grand Prix – a wet race that delivered all the thrills and spills any fan could hope for, and Hamilton was the main beneficiary.
Lewis Hamilton partied with Neymar one day after winning the 2017 Singapore Grand Prix
Immediately after starting the Singapore Grand Prix, Hamilton, who started in fifth place, inherited the lead after just four corners.
Kimi Raikkonen, Max Verstappen, and Vettel all collided before turn one, with the latter escaping seemingly unharmed.
But two corners later, as a result of the damage he had suffered, Vettel would spin due to the hydraulic fluid pouring out the side of his car, spearing into the wall.
Hamilton had threaded the needle and got past everyone, going on to claim a crucial victory in the context of the title fight. He moved 28 points clear, having held a three-point lead before the race.
The following day, he travelled back to London from Asia, where he linked up with then-PSG forward Neymar at a LOVE magazine party.
He ended the night at a Soho nightclub, which means he must’ve had a pretty good time with the Brazilian, who he shared a strong friendship with.
When did Lewis Hamilton win the 2017 Formula 1 title?
One of Hamilton’s main strengths was that he didn’t retire from a single race in 2017. In fact, he failed to finish any lower than ninth.
The ninth place came at the race where he secured his fourth title in Mexico, after getting tangled with Vettel at the start.
Following Singapore, Vettel suffered reliability issues at each of the following two races, qualifying 20th in Malaysia after an engine issue, before retiring again in Japan after encountering a similar problem.
By then, it was almost too late already. Hamilton’s lead was huge and just over a month after he was partying with Neymar, he had added another title to his collection.