F1 Fanatic

So if everyone thinks that the current crop of champions on the grid can keep winning for the immediate years to come, it’s possible that the next champion isn’t even in F1 yet.

Here’s a similar thread on another forum, 10 years ago.

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=46361&hl=next%20wdc&st=0

Interesting how the correct answer, Alonso, was considered a “long shot” back then. Could that be an indication that the next world champion might not be a driver most people expect it from?

Also interesting how Montoya, Raikkonen, and Ralf were considered the “obvious choices”. Which turned out to be quite the opposite considering only Kimi end up winning a championship at the end.

Lastly, Webber and Massa are the Barrichello and Coulthard of a decade later. It’s only going downhill from here. :P

Perez will very likely have a car capable of winning the championship next year, but I can’t see him beating Jenson. Webber as well, and he’s shown in 2010 and 2012 that Sebastian is very much beatable, but I don’t know – Mark just doesn’t seem to be capable of putting a whole season together. Massa, Rosberg and Grosjean could all have good-enough cars next year, but they don’t seem too likely either as their teammates are the favourites.

So I don’t see anyone other than the 5 champions winning the title in 2013. The next new champion? Depends on so many things, but I think it could take years before that happens, with the top drivers so strong and relatively young at the moment. Then it could be just about anyone.

There’s no reasonable prediction I can make, so I’ll go for Maldonado in 2014. Williams seem to be going forwards at the moment, Maldonado’s had some blistering speed and he’s been more reliable and consistent of late.

Bahrain, Melbourne, Hockenheim, Korea, Abu Dhabi – 5 races where he could’ve done much more (or did he have a car issue in Hockenheim? Not completely sure). Those 5 races proved very costly.

In a season when he was faster than Sebastian on quite a few occasions, when the Red Bull car was the class of the field, and when he had better reliability than Sebastian, he probably should have won the title.

In the near future, it’s between Sergio Perez and Nico Hulkenberg. The former is already in a car with championship-potential pace, and it shouldn’t be long before the latter is scooped up by a top championship-contendor team.

Perez, Hulkenberg or the Toro Rosso duo. Yes, I’m not joking. If Webber retires and Vettel goes to Ferrari they will probably be at Red Bull, and it’s up to them to get the championship. Perez of cource has already signed at Mclaren and he is a good driver and Hulkenberg has no links to big teams, but he can secure a place.

Here’s an identical thread made over 12 years ago, back in 2000.

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9375&hl=champion

Appearantly, the correct answer, Fernando Alonso, didn’t even exist back then. IIRC Alonso was still in Formula 3000 at the time.

Is this a further indication that the next big thing might not even be in F1 yet, but rather in some junior Formula category?

http://forums.autosport.com/index.php?showtopic=9375&hl=champion

Oh, those poor group of drivers. Rubens Barrichello, David Coulthard, Ralf Schumacher, Giancarlo Fisichella, and Jarno Trulli. Poor because they were never given a championship shot. At the end of 2000, these drivers were right behind Schumacher and Hakkinen in the pecking order.

However, for one reason or another, they never became world champion. Schumacher went on to dominate the next 5 years, and once Michael and Mika were finished (Well, Hakkinen was sort of finished in 2000 anyway), a new young force of Alonso and Raikkonen would dominate the next 3-4 years, and eventually all these men would sink into insignificance.

This has me thinking that a large portion of the current crop, such as Perez, Hulkenburg, Grosjean, Rosberg, Maldonado and Di Resta; who are today seen as logical choices for future champions, will for one reason or another never reach their full potential anyway.

Meantime perhaps, a young lad who is currently charging his way through the ranks will eventually follow the Vettel and Hamilton generation in their footsteps. Who knows, 13 years ago (in 2000), the next future new champion (Alonso) was still in Formula 3.