Who will be the next Formula 1 world champion not named Max Verstappen? That’s the question many are asking amid the Red Bull driver’s dominance.
Verstappen has won three straight titles – the last two in processional fashion – and is already on course for a fourth. He’s breezed to victory in four of the first five races this year.
2025 will also likely belong to the Dutchman, even if Adrian Newey is no longer at Red Bull. That’s because there won’t be any major changes to the regulations.
But come 2026, the outlook may be different. The teams will have to build new-look engines, and while the chassis regulations aren’t finalised, we know they’ll be considerably lighter and smaller.
Sebastian Vettel thinks George Russell is best-placed to become F1’s next new champion. Russell could become the team leader at Mercedes following Lewis Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.
Lando Norris will also feel he’s in with a shout. Norris holds the record for the most podium finishes without a victory (15) but the F1 paddock now unanimously regards him as one of the sport’s elite drivers.
The Englishman has signed a long-term deal with McLaren, indicating his faith in the team to deliver a title-winning car. But he could also receive a tempting offer from Red Bull.
26-year-old driver told he lacks one thing Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen have
Another driver who will see himself as a champion in waiting is Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. Only three drivers on the current grid – Valtteri Bottas (10), Daniel Ricciardo (eight) and Sergio Perez (six) – have won more races than his five without taking a title, and he’s also bagged 32 podiums.
But to achieve that goal in the next couple of years, Leclerc will have to beat Hamilton. And given that he most successful driver in the sport’s history, that may be the ultimate task.
Speaking on Ziggo Sport, former F1 driver Robert Doornbos argued that Leclerc doesn’t what have it takes to defeat the 39-year-old in a title fight. He apparently lacks the same ruthless mentality as Hamilton and Verstappen.
“Charles Leclerc is too nice to become Formula 1 world champion,” he said. “Leclerc can’t do what Hamilton or Verstappen show.
“Let’s assume that Ferrari builds the best car for the coming GP season. Then he will be eaten by Hamilton. Leclerc just has a certain roughness, this harshness when it comes to mistakes or dealing with his engineers.”
Tension rises between Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz
Leclerc’s mettle is being put to the test this year as he faces an intense fight with Carlos Sainz. Ferrari have placed their long-term faith in the Monegasque, but the ousted Sainz now has nothing to lose.
Much to the surprise of Red Bull director Helmut Marko, the Spaniard has edged the head-to-head so far this year. It’s 2-2 in qualifying, but he leads 3-1 in the races.
That record is even more impressive when you consider that Sainz had to undergo an appendectomy in March, causing him to miss the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix. Despite that, he’s only seven points behind in the championship.
The 29-year-old laid down an early marker at the Bahrain GP as he fought his way past Leclerc twice to finish on the podium. He did, however, have a clear advantage as his teammate struggled with overheating.
By contrast, it was a straight fight in the Chinese GP Sprint last weekend, one that saw Sainz run Leclerc off the road in the closing stages. The latter eventually finished ahead, but he wasn’t happy with the aggression he encountered.
He expressed those feelings in a debrief after the session, where Nico Rosberg says Sainz apologised. Leclerc is apparently lacking ‘confidence’ behind the wheel of the SF-24 but he needs to build it up throughout the year before the arrival of Hamilton.
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