Lewis Hamilton is not a man who needs a head start in Formula One seasons these days, but the five-time world champion has had exactly that in 2019.
Two wins in the opening three races -- one incredibly fortunate, one incredibly dominant -- have helped him into the lead of the championship. His nearest rival, six points back, is Mercedes teammate Valtteri Bottas. Somehow, it is Red Bull's Max Verstappen in third position ahead of the Ferrari pair of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc, sitting on 37 and 36 points respectively. That's hardly insurmountable -- Vettel led the championship at the same point last year -- but seeing Hamilton in such a commanding lead over the two red cars before we've even reached May is concerning for anyone with a good memory of recent seasons.