With Max Verstappen at Red Bull Racing, Charles Leclerc at Ferrari, Lando Norris at McLaren and George Russell at Mercedes, 2022 really seems to be the year of the changing of the guard. How can these talents be compared and what are the similarities with the previous generation?
Formula 1 is always a coming and going of talent, but at the top it often remains stable for years. Every era has its heroes. F1 started with title fights between Juan Manuel Fangio and Alberto Ascari, but we also saw duels between Niki Lauda and James Hunt, Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna and Michael Schumacher against Mika Häkkinen. Every generation has new heroes, and the new generation now seems to be rising.
After the Schumacher and Häkkinen era, it was the turn of a new generation. Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso were the first to show up, but at the end of that time Lewis Hamilton and Sebastian Vettel were also there. Alonso, Hamilton and Vettel would dominate the sport for years, but now it’s time for a new generation.
Although Alonso and Vettel are still driving in Formula 1, they are not considered potential world champions in the coming seasons. Hamilton is still fighting at the top, but his career won’t last forever either. So it’s nice to see the next generation get a chance at the top.
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Verstappen’s support finds its way to British analysts
Verstappen looks like Alonso
The man who towers above the rest is of course Max Verstappen. The Dutchman has been driving in Formula 1 since 2015 and for a top team since 2016. He did Red Bull Racing completely according to his will and is the first of the new generation to attack the predecessor. It’s ironic that this is Verstappen right now, especially when compared to the previous generation.
If you had to compare Verstappen to anyone, it would be Fernando Alonso. Like Alonso, Verstappen is an all-rounder who is very fast on Saturday, but especially brilliant in the race on Sunday. Every driver is afraid to duel with these drivers because you can’t just overtake them and they take advantage of every mistake.
The two of them hardly differ in character either. Both are very open and tough on the established (British) order in Formula 1. Both have a huge fan base in their country and it was they who managed to put Formula 1 on the map. However, Verstappen seems to be more relaxed on the inside than Alonso. While Fernando has squandered his chances of winning more world titles by fighting everywhere, Verstappen is able to really shape a team according to his will.
The fact that Verstappen is now attacking Hamilton is ironic as Hamilton was the first to attack Alonso. The Spaniard was considered a new child prodigy after his time at Renault, but was ousted from the throne at McLaren. That it happens the other way round is typical of Formula 1.
The new Vettel and Hamilton
Second on the list is Leclerc. Leclerc and Verstappen have known each other since karting and have fought many duels. When they fight for the title it will be an uphill battle. Leclerc still makes a few mistakes, but in 2021 he will be more consistent than ever. If he can go on like this, all he has to do is wait for a good Ferrari car.
Leclerc is more like Hamilton. The Monegasque has worked its way up to the top without much outside guidance. He’s extremely fast over one lap, but also a good racer. Most importantly, he learns quickly. Like Hamilton at the beginning of his career, Leclerc is sometimes a little wild at wheel-to-wheel racing, but like Lewis, he’s always very blameless immediately after the races. If he’s wrong, he’ll tell you right away and try to learn from it.
Lando Norris really breaks through for the first time with his consistent performances at McLaren in 2021. The question is whether he is on par with Leclerc and Verstappen. Where the two did brilliant things in their first season, Norris was a bit humble and let Carlos Sainz knock him down. Leclerc and Verstappen seem a bit more advanced at the moment, but Norris is working hard on himself and with a good McLaren car it could be a good challenge in a few years.
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“Albon was spotted during the photo shoot and appears to be on his way to Williams”
George Russell is the most difficult to assess among the newcomers. At the end of the grid, top performance is quickly noticed, but fewer days are also significantly less noticeable. Russell, like Leclerc and Verstappen, showed these highlights, mostly on Saturday. He’s extremely quick over a single lap but has yet to prove it with a big team.
He will get this chance at Mercedes in 2022. While Leclerc and Verstappen quickly rose to the top team, Russell had to wait three years for it. He will have to compete internally with Lewis Hamilton and that is of course a good test.
Norris and Russell can best be compared to Sebastian Vettel. Incredibly fast over a lap, but still some problems on Sunday and especially wheel-to-wheel races. Vettel was unstoppable with the fast RB16B, but once in traffic like Ferrari and Aston Martin he gets into trouble faster.
Norris and Russell both improved on Sunday but aren’t yet the real racing drivers that Leclerc and Verstappen are. Russell and Norris can do an incredibly fast lap, so they are always difficult customers. Give them a good car and you will probably never see them again.
How good is the new generation?
We can only say who is the best of the generation at the end of the journey. As a driver, Hamilton proved to be the best at picking the right team and gathering the right people around to become world champions often. He also knew how to develop as a driver, which enabled him to master new challenges.
In this regard, Alonso and Vettel were left behind in the previous generation. Alonso was at war within McLaren and Ferrari and never managed to lead a team to the top. Vettel ended up in a warm bath at Red Bull Racing, but never managed to make Ferrari his own. That was also because he didn’t seem to develop any further as a driver.
However, the similarities with their predecessors say nothing about the new generation. As I said, Verstappen is much calmer than Alonso when he was back when Leclerc still has to prove whether he is capable of leading Ferrari to the top. For Russell and Norris it will be important not to rely on just one fast lap, because that only works if you have the best car.
In this respect, F1 remains a tricky game. The sport hopes the new regulations will bring the cars closer together, but drivers will always rely on their gear. However, good examples are followed. Michael Schumacher and Lewis Hamilton have shown that working on a team for years to perfect everything is better than hopping from team to team. Let this be a wise lesson for the current generation.
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“Even the experienced Perez seems to be driven insane by Verstappen”
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