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British GP stats: A mid-season comparison between Vettel and Hamilton

ESPN takes a look at some of the best and quirkiest stats to come out of the British Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel prevailed in a mesmerising British Grand Prix that saw carnage, wheel-to-wheel racing and the first real Ferrari vs. Mercedes four-car battle of 2018.

Lewis Hamilton, who found himself last on the opening lap after being spun around by Kimi Raikkonen, recovered to finish an incredible P2 ahead of the Finn as the Scuderia extended their lead in both world championships.

Stat focus: Hamilton vs. Vettel - Who is on track for glory?

The 2018 championship fight between Vettel and Hamilton is turning into one of the greatest in Formula One history.

Since the season-opening Australian Grand Prix, momentum has swung from Ferrari to Mercedes and back again with nobody any closer to learning who will be the first of the pair to reach five world championships.

We're now 10 rounds into 2018 so it's a perfect opportunity to take a look at how the title combatants' first half of the season compare to last year.

While Hamilton continues to have the edge in qualifying, it has tightened up significantly. In 2017 he claimed six pole positions to Vettel's one in the first half of the season but this year it's closed to 4-3 in the Brit's favour.

There's also an interesting pattern which has emerged when looking at wins and podiums. Vettel had three wins through 10 races in 2017 and has managed four in 2018 while Hamilton has done the opposite, dropping from four back to three. With podiums, Hamilton scored six in the first 10 races of 2017 but this year has managed seven with Vettel going from seven last year to six this year.

Key stat: Vettel has won the world championship on both occasions he claimed four or more wins in the opening 10 races (2011 and 2013).

However, the most important stat of all is championship points and for the second straight season Vettel leads Hamilton at the halfway mark. The question is, has he learned from last year's mistakes?

Something you probably didn't know

The halfway point of the season is also an ideal time to take a look at the head-to-head battles between teammates. The following numbers are teammate comparisons through the first 10 rounds of the year.

QUALIFYING
Greatest differential: Fernando Alonso 10 - 0 Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren)
Second greatest differential: Sebastian Vettel 9 - 1 Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari)
Third greatest differential: Esteban Ocon 8 - 2 Sergio Perez (Force India) and Charles Leclerc 8 - 2 Marcus Ericsson (Sauber)

RACE
Greatest differential: Fernando Alonso 7 - 2 Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren) and Kevin Magnussen 7 - 2 Romain Grosjean (Haas)
Third greatest differential: Lewis Hamilton 6 - 3 Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) and Esteban Ocon 6 - 3 Sergio Perez (Force India)

Fast facts:

8 - The amount of podiums Hamilton has scored at the British Grand Prix (8 from 12 races).

51 - Vettel's win at Silverstone tied Alain Prost for third on the all-time wins list.

20% - Mercedes win rate from the last five races. The team's worst in a five-race stretch since 2013.

37 - Retirements so far in season 2018.

Kimi = Red Bull - Raikkonen has scored six podiums this season, the same amount as Red Bull.