The crop of drivers this season is a cocktail of both old and new, with the likes of Fernando Alonso returning to the grid and three drivers making their debut in Formula 1. But what are their future prospects on an F1 grid?
Let’s start at the front of the grid, so to speak, before picking out a few of their challengers.
Verstappen:
2021 has seen a change in the lead for the Driver’s Championship with Max Verstappen in first place on 156 points. The 23-year-old Dutchman broke numerous F1 records when he became the youngest competitor to enter the sport at just 17, followed by winning his first grand prix at 18 for Red Bull in 2016.
Verstappen is the son of former F1 driver Jos Verstappen and racing driver mum, Sophie Kumpen, so racing is in his genes, which when combined with his driven mind and no-holds-barred attitude, has contributed to his F1 career success so far. He is at the top of his game and has already won three races this season, so it’s likely the Red Bull driver will continue to perform exceedingly well in Formula 1 for many seasons to come.
Hamilton:
Verstappens’ main rival, Lewis Hamilton, is one of the older drivers on the grid this season. Hamilton has risen to the top of F1 since his 2007 debut, with 100 pole positions Senna – and 98 wins, resulting in 7 World Driver’s championships, equal to that of the formidable Michael Schumacher.
Hamilton is perhaps the greatest driver of all time in Formula 1 and he isn’t slowing down. He is currently second in the Driver’s championship and finally has a competitive season with Verstappen, providing us with a much-needed challenge to keep the races interesting. But will he continue to race or retire from the sport?
Whether Hamilton continues to race for Mercedes is currently unknown, as according to number 44 himself, there’s “no real need” to plan for the future. With the arrival of Extreme E, it is possible that Hamilton takes on a more operational role within his team X44. Fans would love to watch him secure another World Driver’s championship, and whether that’ll be this year or next we don’t know, but for now his future at Mercedes just needs to be written in contract.
Perez & Bottas
With the dominance of both Verstappen and Hamilton it’s hard to see any future success in their teammates. Perez is in his first season in a Red Bull and whilst he has a win under his belt, it’s hard to see him ever being able to surpass Max. He’s a strong driver but is surely only able to sweep up wins when something goes wrong for his teammate.
Bottas occupies the other side of the Mercedes garage and there’s already talk of him vacating it for next season – more on that below. He’s shown flashes of speed, accuracy and brilliance during his time as Hamilton’s teammate, but it would seem as though his best days are possibly behind him.
The Midfield:
So who else? Well look no further than Ferrari and McLaren, who have secured both their drivers for the next few years, with Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc and McLaren’s Lando Norris looking the most promising.
Leclerc entered F1 in 2018 and has since won two grand prix, achieved 9 pole positions and 12 podiums. He is a young and exciting talent that will lead Ferrari for many years to come and has helped the team bounce back from their disappointing recent seasons. More wins are on the horizon for Leclerc.
21-year-old Lando Norris made his F1 debut in 2019 and hasn’t disappointed fans. He is yet to win a race but has secured two podiums and this season he is the only driver to score points every race, leaving him fourth in the Driver’s championship. Norris certainly has the potential to become a multiple world champion in his F1 career and will certainly be one of the future faces of the sport.
Esteban Ocon joined the F1 circus as a teenager and is a strong candidate to stick around for some time yet. At the age of 24 he has returned after a sabbatical year spent with Mercedes, learning as much as possible from the ground up. He’s definitely one for the future, having renewed his contract with Alpine until 2024. His teammate Fernando Alonso is staying with the team next year too. Alpine’s executive director, Marcin Budkowski, has said in an interview with Sky Italia that they have “three drivers in Formula 2” that could potentially take Alonso’s place if he decides to leave F1, but Ocon is there to stay.
William’s driver George Russell could be leaving the team and heading for a promotion, taking Bottas’ spot at Mercedes. With the Fin’s future as Hamilton’s teammate being uncertain there’s a great opportunity for someone to fill his seat, and Russell looks the obvious selection right now. Russell showed promise when he drove for Mercedes last year, when Hamilton was unable to race, so we could spot him in Mercedes overalls at some point soon. Only time will tell.
Another strong prospect on the grid has to be Pierre Gasly. He has excelled as a driver since being demoted from Red Bull in 2019, winning a race last year and achieving a podium in the Baku GP just weeks ago. Gasly’s contract expires this season meaning it is uncertain as to where his future in F1 will be, but he is promising and can get the most out of his car so it’s likely he will stay with AlphaTauri for the foreseeable future.
The Rookies:
Finally, let’s take a look at the 2021 rookies - Yuki Tsunoda, racing for AlphaTauri, and the Haas drivers of Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin. This trio could be the future faces of the sport but they still have a long way to go.
Tsunoda has little experience in F1 and single seat racing as whole, but if his quality of performance is as good as people say it is, he’ll likely be on our screens in F1 for a long time.
Both Haas drivers are yet to score points this season, with results highlighting the mammoth task to get anywhere near a top 10 finish, but that’s not to say it can’t happen. Schumacher and Mazepin have a two-year contract, and with practice and hard-work, it’s likely that Schumacher will be continuing in F1 beyond that. Mazepin, however, might have to retire early with the prospect of an impending call up for military service in his homeland of Russia.
The current crop of driver’s will change over time, with drivers from lower formulas, such as Callum Ilott and Arthur Leclerc, moving into Formula 1, but it may be time for the boys to move over soon because…the W Series girls are coming.
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