Could they be the world champions after the Hamilton era? - Five names, five reasons, plus an odd one out!

It is still difficult for the Formula 1 fans society to imagine that period, but no matter how incredible it may seem, neither Lewis Hamilton nor Sebastian Vettel will be with us forever. In turn, the young, just like the spring buds, forge ahead relentlessly, and sooner or later, but they will take Hamilton’s and Vettel’s place.

Now we are attempting to subtract the two gentlemen mentioned above from the formula, and guess — and even justify — what the Formula 1 power-order of the future will look like. Let’s see the Fans Brands’ taboo list of the possible future world champions – from top to the end!

1. Max Verstappen, the ticking time bomb:

In our opinion, if we take out of the game the ones with the most routine (Hamilton, Vettel), the Red Bull pilot stands out – even if just slightly – from the remaining competitors.
His great advantage is that, despite his young age, he already has a valuable routine and regularly gives a hard time for his colleagues in the race already mentioned above, even from behind of a weaker technique’s wheel. He is a real “champion-raw material” who is cheeky, violent, is fond of and skillfully uses psychological warfare. He’s the best in field when it comes to wet races, and with a competitive technique, he will have a good chance of dominating the New Age Formula 1.

2. Charles Leclerc, the most collected of all

He’s the one who can do the most to stop Verstappen. His abilities rival those of the Dutch pilot, in a sense even surpassing them – see intelligence shown in the race and mental endurance. However, the less vehement character may backfire in a fiercely competitive situation, which is why we ranked Monaco’s super talent “only” on the second place. His precision, preparedness and dedication raises him among one of the absolute greatest, and this could bring one day a world title for Scuderia Ferrari. The only question is whether the Reds will be able to provide him with a suitable background for that…

3. George Russell, the dark horse:

For many, Russell’s name may come as a surprise in third place, but the author of the article has been following the career of the British talent for a long time. So to speak, he comes from the same racing background as Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris, and still, he certainly delivered serious results against them. He’s not sitting in and driving the most valuable technique right now, but we can be pretty sure he’ll get the chance from Toto Wolff in the event of any change at the Mercedes team. We can also be sure in the fact that he will live with the chance – as long as the German brand retains its outstanding competitiveness in the years after Hamilton, too.

4. Carlos Sainz:

Sainz isn’t necessarily elevated to this list by his sparkling talent. Sorry to his Spanish fans, but Carlos doesn’t have that killer instinct, which is present in the ones discussed above, he’s much more of a “hard worker”, just like Jenson Button. He’s a racer who doesn’t organize a wreck parade on the track and doesn’t gallop through everyone for his goals, but he is terribly balanced. He squeezes out everything of the technique and situation at his disposal, this was also demonstrated in 2019, thanks to which he became Rest of the Best (the best after the immediate leading pack). Once he’ll get a chance to really get involved in the game of the big ones, we’ll definitely see him in the top three. Some wins, few mistakes, and diligent points scoring can easily lead to become a world champion!

5. Lando Norris:

I hesitated a lot about whether it wouldn’t be more worthwhile to replace Norris wiht Alexander Albon. There is only one reason why it didn’t turn out that way: he has a much cooler perception than the British Albon, plus he has a burningly cheeky, naughty style. Anyone who thinks this is just a simple trait, is greatly mistaken. This is the main feature of the champions! Since he was already able to do remarkable things as a rookie, and his speed is absolutely fine, something suggests me that a few years of development and a step up can bring him the great success. Right now this is more of an intuition than a sober reality, but my “racing nose” has never cheated on me before.

+1. Daniel Ricciardo:

We know what the Australian is capable of: during his career, he was competitive with all his teammates, defeating most of them – see Sebastian Vettel, Nico Hülkenberg. When he was left behind – e.g. against Max Verstappen – that wasn’t because of competency gaps either, it was rather the demon of technology to be blamed. Ricciardo has a world title in his blood, the only question is whether he will find a partner during his active career who will be willing to deliver the key to his success, that is, a car capable of the final victory. We’re pretty pessimistic about it though: time doesn’t work for him, and it’s not impossible to imagine a scenario where he will get to the fate of the sympathetic Danny Fernando Alonso. Let’s hope we won’t be right!