There is one common denominator in Ferrari’s and Mercedes’ domination

Aldo Costa makes F1 champions, both then and now

Mercedes could become the second team in F1 history to sweep both championships for five years in a row. Here are more statistical milestones which could be reached in the season ahead.

Only once in F1 history has a team and one of their drivers won both championships in five consecutive seasons: Ferrari and Michael Schumacher, between 2000 and 2004. Mercedes can equal it this year, having won all four constructors titles since 2014 and seen Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.

The common denominator – Aldo Costa designed all the cars.

However they won’t be able to match Ferrari’s feat of winning six consecutive constructors’ championship until next year.

Mercedes can match that feat this year. Adding extra spice to the story, the team most likely to stop them could be the record holders, as Ferrari were the most serious season-long threat to Mercedes last year.

Other teams have come close to this achievement in the past. Red Bull swept both titles between 2010 and 2013 (Sebastian Vettel won the drivers’ titles with them) and McLaren did the same from 1988 to 1991 (Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost took the drivers’ titles in their cars).

Another Mercedes success (or, indeed, a return to title-winning glory success for Red Bull) would make 2018 the 10th consecutive season without a championship for any of three of F1’s most historic and successful teams: Ferrari, McLaren and Williams.