2016 Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes)
2017 Daniel Ricciardo (Ferrari)
-- Big regulation shift (I don't believe the changes will be approved by 2017) --
2018 Daniel Ricciardo (Ferrari)
2019 Max Verstappen (Mercedes)
2020 Daniel Ricciardo (Ferrari)
2021 Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren Honda)
2022 Stoffel Vandoorne (McLaren Honda)
2023 Max Verstappen (Mercedes)
2024 Esteban Ocon (McLaren Honda)
2025 Max Verstappen (Ferrari)
Ricciardo moves to Ferrari in 2017 and delivers the title Vettel almost did in 2016. The regulation changes push Mercedes into a bit of a slump and give McLaren Honda a leg up, pushing Alonso to 2nd in his final season in 2018; Vandoorne then wins in 2021 thanks to a regulation tweak, and the McLaren Honda partnership finally starts to look like the days of old.
Hamilton departs Mercedes in 2019 after a torrid 2018 season and pressure from Verstappen, and he goes to the Renault works team, but another championship is not forthcoming, and he retires after the 2022 season; Hamilton's teammate during those years, Ocon, moves to McLaren and has a monumental 2024 season to beat his old F3 nemesis, Verstappen.
Vettel -- now beaten by Ricciardo 3 times -- departs Ferrari for Mercedes in 2019, but Max Verstappen -- who replaced Rosberg for 2018 -- is the one who wins Mercedes first title since 2016. Vettel retires after 2023 when he fails to beat Verstappen at the title decider and loses by a point -- he ends his career with 4 championships.
The now aging Ricciardo quits Ferrari after 2024 for a nice seat at Williams, with Verstappen taking the vacant seat at Ferrari, Vandoorne at Mercedes, and Ocon still at McLaren. A new generation of yet unknown drivers are in the 2nd seats and look like being champions in 2026.
Red Bull persists beyond 2016, but the company is wound up after 2018 when the regulation changes fail to make it a winner, hence the move by Verstappen to Mercedes in 2018. Williams takes 2 wins during the 10 year period, with Perez proving to be a decent driver, although a complete resurgence never occurs. The works Renault team takes 7 wins -- all but one thanks to the brilliance of Hamilton -- but never comes close to a championship and winds things up in 2022.
Edited by Jimisgod, 27 October 2015 - 19:03.