By Joe Murphy
There’s no doubt that this is an impossible task. There will be people to shout this article down at every possible turn I could make. What’s also guaranteed is that F1 Champions tend to have ‘era’ kind of runs as champion, with the 23 years yielding only 7 different champions. However, lets proceed regardless. So, this is not saying that the next name on this list will be World Champ in 10 months time, but rather when Max is quite finished dominating the sport. What years these next five names could be champions is anyone’s guess, but let’s delve into the options.
#1 – George Russell
As long as Max is with Red Bull, it’s unfeasible to see a fellow Charging Bull driver winning the big one. Therefore, it stands to reason that looking at the next most competitive team could wield the next winner. Lewis Hamilton most likely won’t ever mount a serious title challenge again, so it’s down to another Mercedes driver. George Russell is safe in his seat, is clearly part of future plans for the Silver Arrows and, should he find more consistency, has all the talent necessary to lead from the front. Perhaps from 2026.
#2 – Charles Leclerc
The aforementioned element of era wins may already be redundant here, as it’s hard to see Ferrari returning to the glory days of the early 2000’s anytime soon. Once Mercedes have won a few it will be up to other teams to challenge again. If Red Bull go through a sticky phase, then you’d naturally turn to the Red Team. They are always there or there abouts and the one driver you’d look at would be the man from Monaco. Perhaps Robert Schwartzman, perhaps Antonio Giovinazzi, perhaps even Mick Schumacher, but none seem to have that extra level that being a world champion requires. That could all change, of course.
#3 – Lando Norris
We are well into fantasy booking territory but once Ferrari win the big one, Mercedes would fight back and potentially lead another young Brit to the title. Lando Norris is talented enough to make this prediction a reality. He’s probably the better driver compared to George so, if he gets the move, it could only result in positive outcomes. His current McLaren teammate on the other hand…
#4 – Oscar Piastri
The young Australian is the real deal and appears to also have everything it takes. Zak Brown currently claimed his line-up for 2024 is the strongest on the grid. In terms of performance, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone who disagrees. Whether it be for the long-awaited McLaren revival, or Piastri gets a move to Red Bull or even replaces Sainz at Ferrari, he could definitely be a future champion of the world. That being said, it may not happen for a while yet.
#5 – Gabriel Bortoleto
If you’re reading this and suddenly think ‘who?’ then you’re not doing something wrong. By the time Oscar Piastri potentially wins a world title, the grid will be practically unrecognisable. Sergio Perez, Lewis Hamilton maybe even Max Verstappen could be gone for the sport. Therefore, the most likely scenario for at least one on this list is someone who isn’t even in the sport yet. Furthermore, if you take the last give champions befriend Max, you’d go back to 2007 when Max was still in school. A lot of these aforementioned drivers are young too and likely to be around for a while yet. Alex Albon perhaps could count himself unlucky not to make this list. To a lesser extent, so can Yuki Tsunoda. Maybe even Pouchaire or Drugovich. However, Bortoleto seems like a better call. The 19-year-old is the reigning F3 champion and is already at F2 level. It’s likely that if he carries on with his current trajectory, he could rise all the way to the top.
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