2018 in pictures

With racing’s next new dawn imminent, we thought it appropriate to take a photographic glimpse at some highlights from 2018, when Lewis Hamilton and Marc Márquez achieved fresh career milestones, Toyota finally broke its Le Mans jink, Formula E went from strength to strength and a driver named Sébastien won the World Rally Championship for the 15th straight season…

Arguably 2018’s perfect combination. Lewis Hamilton and the Mercedes F1 W09 EQ Power+ proved the dominant force in F1

Sun sets on the Sebring 12 Hours as Ford’s GT races into the night ahead of a pair of DPi machines

Billy Monger made headlines with a stunning racing comeback. And he never held back at the wheel of his Carlin-run British F3 car

Riley Motorsport’s Mercedes AMG GT3 captured in a blur of light at Sebring

The NASCAR field roars away for the Pennzoil 400 at the Las Vegas Motor Speedway back in March, with Kevin Harvick and Jimmie Johnson leading

Kris Meeke and Paul Nagle might have escaped injury in their huge accident on Rally Portugal, but it brought about their departure from Citroën

The World Endurance Championship broke new ground with its ‘super season’ format, starting at Spa-Francorchamps

His Grand Prix season did not go quite to plan, but Fernando Alonso’s move to Toyota did bring him Le Mans success alongside Sébastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima

Kevin Hansen slides his Peugeot 208 FIA World Rallycross challenger during the series’ visit to Cape Town

Macau isn’t just about single-seaters. World TCR’s appearance this year brought drama for Norbert Michelisz

Back when it all looked rosy. Daniel Ricciardo plunges into Red Bull Racing’s Monaco pool to celebrate his second victory of the season, but things later went wrong

Toyota sprang a surprise in the WRC title race – and Esapekka Lappi scored three podium finishes in his Yaris

Ash Sutton clunks the Knockhill kerbs during an initially difficult British Touring Car title defence for Subaru

Marc Márquez continued to work his way into MotoGP’s record books, securing his fifth world title. Here he takes victory at Sepang, Malaysia

Sébastien Ogier again proved unbeatable, lifting a sixth WRC title (his second with the M-Sport Ford team). His performance on Rally GB’s Great Orme stage was remarkable

Alex Rins leads Valentino Rossi on his Suzuki at the Red Bull Ring, Austria

Brazilian Stock Cars aren’t on everybody’s radar. Here’s an arty shot of Felipe Fraga in Goiânia

Dramatic setting for the Gateway round of the IndyCar Series, won by Will Power ahead of Alexander Rossi and champ Scott Dixon

What a drag: Courtney Force’s Top Fuel Funnycar was always spectacular to behold

The GTE class upheld manufacturer interest in the World Endurance Championship (which ends at Le Mans in June). BMW and Aston Martin do battle at Spa

Water in the electrics: Daniel Abt splashes his way around the New York Formula E circuit, in the Red Hook area of Brooklyn

The Blancpain GT Endurance Series continued to attract strong fields – the mid-season Paul Ricard 1000Km drew 51 entries

Augusto Farfus’s BMW throws up sparks during a DTM round at the Red Bull Ring, Spielberg, Austria