62 replies to this topic

[stuck-in-first-gear]

Ok so we might have to wait for another decade to find out since the current and former WDCs are pretty much in charge of sharing podium places between them (except for Nico on a few occasions).

If I would have to put a fiver on anybody, it would probably be Hulk who will hopefully land a competitive cockpit soon. Rosberg has a good car but an even better teammate, so it will be tough for him to finish in front of Lewis.

So, please vote and share your thoughts

[Jackmancer]

Grosjean. With Kimi gone and Lotus truely his, he'll be WDC when they deliver a great car.

Not because of his race at the Nurburgring. I said it last year as well.

[Grundle]

Grosjean. With Kimi gone and Lotus truely his, he'll be WDC when they deliver a great car.

Not because of his race at the Nurburgring. I said it last year as well.

Not sure if serious.
My vote goes to Hulk.

[spacekid]

I vote Nico.

However, I'm going to hedge my bets by not saying which one.

[Jackmancer]

Not sure if serious.
My vote goes to Hulk.

I'm serious.
Hakkinen was an equal maverick upon entering F1. Grosjean has the speed, needs the consistency.

[MarileneRiddle]

Voted Nico Hulkenberg as the next new WDC. Romain Grosjean and Nico Rosberg are the other 'possible' ones.

[apoka]

I vote Nico.

However, I'm going to hedge my bets by not saying which one.

You beat me to it.

[sopa]

Good question. It looks like we may not getting one for some time, but one day someone surely will!!!

Okay, some harsh comments.

Rosberg is definitely going to be among frontrunners and semiregular race winners. But can he beat Hamilton in the same team in a tight fight, while battling for title? The answer about him ever winning the title is MAYBE.

Grosjean? I don't think so. Too inconsistent. Lotus has money problems and he will not be a lead driver in any other top team.

Perez? Shows potential, but I think he is inconsistent too. New Montoya. Has a long-term future in McLaren though.

Ricciardo? At best new Webber, the next bridesmaid.

Hulkenberg? Seems to have career management problems. Next year will be his fourth team. Always at the wrong place at the wrong time. Can still win it one day, but will need to get lucky for that to happen.

Di Resta? Solid driver, the new Heidfeld. His career height will be getting a drive in a top team to be a number two there.

Bottas? Okay, I can't be critical about him yet. Haven't seen enough. Could be a champ one day. I don't know.

Bianchi? Some hype around him, but he certainly took a long time to graduate from feeder series to F1.

Massa? Sorry, no.

So my vote went to other - Stoffel Vandoorne, who as a McLaren junior driver does a Hamilton and joins the new McLaren-Honda team as a rookie in 2015, partnering Perez. McLaren-Honda gradually develops back into a top team role and Vandoorne, who beats team-mate Perez, is crowned as Formula One World Champion in 2017.

[Beamer]

Robin Frijns

[Andrew Hope]

Nobody is faster than Pastor .

[sopa]

Robin Frijns

Was thinking of him too, but he has a money problem, which is why it looks like Sauber can't promote him. He rejected Red Bull junior team idea a few years ago, but it looks like it would have been a good idea to be part of it. At least would have made to F1 without worrying about finances. These days with all kinds of paydrivers it is good to be part of a junior team scheme to avoid getting lost.

[Jimisgod]

Grosjean. With Kimi gone and Lotus truely his, he'll be WDC when they deliver a great car.

Not because of his race at the Nurburgring. I said it last year as well.

Good joke. Has to get near Kimi more than once a year to be anything more than a mediocre #2.

In all honesty I think it will be Hulk or Ricciardo. Hulk seems to be a team leader, Dan seems to have good raw pace and be a clean driver. Rosberg has to beat Hamilton unless he moves teams - hard work. Perez has the Mclaren inconsistency to deal with - will they make a good car in the near future?

Bianchi reminds me of Alonso in 2001, Frijns could also be like a Vettel or Hamilton and win within a few seasons.

Ricciardo looks more promising than Webber did, he's clearly set himself ahead of Vergne.

Edited by Jimisgod, 09 July 2013 - 13:29.

[Zoetrope]

Hulkenberg in Ferrari in 2017.
Next 3 years are reserved for Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton.

You heard it NOT here first.

[st99]

Hülkenberg. IMO he's "the best of the rest" aka the best of the non-WDC, he's still young and if he can finally get a competitive car he can be a WDC.

[rasul]

Hulkenberg in Ferrari in 2017.
Next 3 years are reserved for Vettel, Alonso and Hamilton.

You heard it NOT here first.

Why only 3 years? In 3 years, Hamilton will be only 31 and Vettel will be only 29 -- they should be at their peak form.
It is possible that the next new WDC will be someone who gets into a top team when Alonso/Kimi/Button retire, but I think that driver will likely be younger than Hulk(who is Vettel's age).

[ElJefe]

Frijns or Vandoorne, as I think the next couple of WDCs will probably be divided among Alonso, Vettel and Hamilton. From 2016 onwards it's down to the new generation.

[Sakae]

Difficult prediction, but if a gun was pointed to my head, I would say after Vettel is done, and people will chase him out of F1 (as they had Schumacher once), then it will be someone whose name is not even on the radar yet.

[Beamer]

Frijns or Vandoorne, as I think the next couple of WDCs will probably be divided among Alonso, Vettel, kimi and Hamilton. From 2016 onwards it's down to the new generation.

Difficult prediction, but if a gun was pointed to my head, I would say after Vettel is done, and people will chase him out of F1 (as they had Schumacher once), then it will be someone whose name is not even on the radar yet. in GP2 currently

Fixed that for you

[Afterburner]

Hulkenberg's been great but he seems to be missing that extra 'something' that most WDCs usually have--something tells me that if he had the talent, he'd be up at a top team already. He puts in great performances but seems to run hot and cold. I like him and would like to see him win, but I'm not sure he's got what it takes.

Bottas has impressed me so far. Pastor is no slouch in qualifying--a few top-three starts last year vouch for that--and yet Bottas has driven circles around him this year. Third in Canada in the rain was no accident; Bottas is seriously quick. Given a shot at a top seat, I don't think he'd waste his chances. He hasn't proven himself to be a reliable contender yet, but I haven't seen him make any glaring errors either. A better bet than Hulkenberg, I think.

Time is running out for Rosberg. He's obviously very talented and seems to be doing better than Button did versus Hamilton, but how much Hamilton's form has changed since leaving McLaren is a mystery. Could he beat Hamilton over a season in a fight for the WDC? It's not impossible; maybe a little unlikely, but not impossible. Rosberg's fate as a champion depends on the sort of car Mercedes manages to build--he's got a few good years left before it's too late, I think, much like Button did when he moved to Honda.

Perez is in with a shot, too, but for some reason I don't see him being ahead of Button consistently enough to manage a championship. Button's getting old, though, and Perez's day may come soon--but probably not until at least 2015 with the Honda connection, which will hopefully revitalise McLaren. If Button is off his game by then--doubtful, I think--we'll get a chance to see Perez's capabilities as the fastest driver in a top team.

These four are the most likely to be newcomers to the game, I think. I won't omit the possibility of a rookie coming in out of nowhere and blowing all of them away, though--it happened with Vettel and will probably happen again.

[Atreiu]

I hope it's Perez, or Hulk after he replaces Button. Who knows?;)

[tommi34]

Maybe Hulkenberg, but it's also a possibility that the next new WDC isn't even driving there yet... Vettel and Hamilton will be out there for next ~8 years, Fernando ~5 years, Kimi and Jenson ~3 years.

[noikeee]

Hulk's really the only serious option for me from the lot currently in F1, even then he's still slightly unproven but the only driver I feel could be top tier.

Then there's a handful that could do it with the right car right timing right team-mate and right development of their skills, Button-2009-style: I will limit that list to Rosberg, Pérez, Bianchi and Bottas. The first two because they've run championship winning team-mates too close for comfort, the latter two because they're far too much of unknown quantities at the moment and look mildly promising (although I cannot tell how they rank against the likes of Ricciardo and di Resta and could probably even lose out there). Grosjean I'm ruling out because whilst consistency is the only thing he's missing, he's missing way way way too much of it. But such a scenario (a Button'09 type) opens up once a decade at best. Very unlikely it'll happen for any of them in this list at all.

Then there's Massa, who has come much much closer than any of the other drivers, of course, but I cannot imagine him coming back from the dead at this stage.

I'm gonna vote Hulk but I think a driver from outside F1 is almost just as likely. Could well be one from that bunch of Frijns, Vandoorne, Magnussen, da Costa. Or someone younger, far more obscure, just starting out.

Edited by noikeee, 09 July 2013 - 15:59.

[noikeee]

Maybe Hulkenberg, but it's also a possibility that the next new WDC isn't even driving there yet... Vettel and Hamilton will be out there for next ~8 years, Fernando ~5 years, Kimi and Jenson ~3 years.

Yeah, that's a very important factor that narrows down the odds of the current crop of hopefuls considerably. The current bunch of champions is formidable and here to stay for a long while yet.

[Dunc]

Ivoted other because I think Pastor Maldonado is the man to watch. He's the only driver of his generation to have put the car on pole and converted it into a win. He's inconsistent, but he has the aggressive driving mentality needed to become a WDC. If someone can be found to nurture that talent, and give him a consistent car, he will win the championship.

OT, I've never quite got the Hulkenberg praise on this board. He's talented but I don't think he stands out as much as people claim. The fact that McLaren could have signed him last year and chose not to says something to me.

I'd love to see DiResta do it but I sadly don't think it will happen.

If Kobayashi came back to a good team I would single him out too.

Edited by Dunc, 09 July 2013 - 19:02.

[camberley]

I say Bianchi

Lets wait and see now ;)

[Zoetrope]

Why only 3 years? In 3 years, Hamilton will be only 31 and Vettel will be only 29 -- they should be at their peak form.
It is possible that the next new WDC will be someone who gets into a top team when Alonso/Kimi/Button retire, but I think that driver will likely be younger than Hulk(who is Vettel's age).

Just like Alonso, Massa and Raikkonen were still in prime when Hamilton and Vettel took their championships.

[OldSoldier2]

Voted Other. Don't have any notion of who that will be. Future race winners are listed I think, but no future WDCs.

Other than Button, the current field of drivers with a WDC by their name all showed great potential and results very early in their careers. And they will crowd out the present field for the next 5-10 years until the next Hamilton or Vettel arrives. Sorry.

[Sakae]

Fixed that for you

Oh Ok, I agree.

[TheUltimateWorrier]

Bianchi, Di Resta, Hulkenberg or Perez. One of those four, I think, will be the next new WDC.

Other than Button, the current field of drivers with a WDC by their name all showed great potential and results very early in their careers. And they will crowd out the present field for the next 5-10 years until the next Hamilton or Vettel arrives.

Lol yeah, let's just forget about his impressive season against Villeneuve in 2003 and then finishing third in the championship a year later.

[BenettonB192]

From the list i think Hulk is most promising. But of course needs to get in a top car first.

[P123]

Hulk, or maybe the next new champ is not yet on the grid. Maybe somebody like da Costa.

[jannyg]

Perez for me. In a strong team, and Button could move on very soon.

This year he has shown that he will take no BS, along with showing signs of controlled aggression and speed. He will learn a great deal from Button.

If he can beat JB this year or next then I believe he is well placed for 2015 onwards. The advantage he has over other candidates such as Hulk is that he is 'in position'. Other drivers risk becoming teammates with Alonso, Vettel or Ham in order to get their moves.

Just my two cents.

[Fastcake]

The only guess I could make based upon how things stand now would be Rosberg or Perez. As both are in top teams and will likely keep their seats for at least a few more years, there is the chance they will seriously fight for the WDC.

[rijole1]

Bianchi? Bottas? Hard to say,
Maybe this is the 'lost young driver generation' , maybe the next star is still waiting for his first F1 drive.
Right now there are too many young and older WDC:s who are picking up most of the points.

[Deerfield]

I voted Bottas. The new turbo F1 will be so different, every season totally new concepts and ideas will be engineered, and the younger the driver, the faster he will adapt. This is for me the sign of exceeding talent, a fast shakedown

Last year I would've said Perez, but now I'm disappointed by his slow pace of adjustement.

Hulkenberg, I like him. If he finds a top team could destroy my prediction

Bianchi, I don't know if he lost something in the way, or was simply overrated. 2 years ago seemed a real talent, now perhaps has lost too much time.

[Mc_Silver]

Rosberg, Perez, Hülkenberg are the candidates for me.

[HammyHamiltonFan]

Di Resta, just a wild hunch though, but I think he is just as likely too as Hulkenberg anyway.

[George Costanza]

A bigger question is when we will see the next WDC?

Since 2005, it has been Fernando, Kimi, Jenson, Lewis and Vetel.

It might be a long way to go before we see another.... Not until, at least Fernando retires.

[HammyHamiltonFan]

A bigger question is when we will see the next WDC?

Since 2005, it has been Fernando, Kimi, Jenson, Lewis and Vetel.

It might be a long way to go before we see another.... Not until, at least Fernando retires.

agreed;

2013 -Vettel is favourite, Alonso and Kimi outsiders, Lewis rank outsider

2014 - realistically if Red Bull, Ferrari, Mercedes or McLaren have the best car then it will be Vettel, Kimi, Alonso, Lewis or Jenson as a long shot

2015 - see 2014

2016 - see 2014

2017 - potentially this is when the likes of Kimi and Jenson might retire and less likely Alonso as well, you still then have Lewis and Vettel and if they are in top cars then it's hard to see a quicker driver than either of them right now if it's not the 3 mentioned.

[Kelateboy]

Rosberg's has the best chances over all the candidates listed. He has the car now and might have the car in the future.

But that is a long shot and will depend on whether RBR will have a fast car in the new regulation era.

[OldSoldier2]

Lol yeah, let's just forget about his impressive season against Villeneuve in 2003 and then finishing third in the championship a year later.

2003 - Button was 9th in the WDC standings and with no podiums. Did not achieve 1st win until 7th season in F1. My point still stands.

[Disgrace]

In a sort of drunken stumble I imagine.

[DutchQuicksilver]

Of the current drivers in F1, I'd say Bianchi as well. Looks destined to eventually succeed Alonso at Ferrari. And like someone in this topic said, he's a bit like Alonso at Minardi in 2001. Don't really see Rosberg winning a title. He's got the bad luck that he's driving in a generation where there's at least four drivers better than him.

[AlainProstX]

Why Bianch gets so much hype and Pic not is beyond me.

Pic was great in his rookie season and is doing a good job this year too. Wish Caterham would have picked Heikki instead of VdG, im sure Pic could have matched him.

Edit: If the Kimi/Rbr rumours are true, you will see Pic in a Lotus for sure.

Edited by AlainProstX, 10 July 2013 - 14:22.

[Deerfield]

I hate to say this, but it seems to me Bianchi is the living proof that Nicolas Todt is a very very clever boy. Don't misunderstand me, Jules sure is a fast driver and a talent, but not a groundbreaking one. Still, thanks to Todt family, he did the ferrari young program with flying colors, and there were many articles about him, depicting him as the natural predestinate to maranello. This year he's doing well, not exceptionally good. Still, I'd be not surprised if the clever Todt manages to put him in a top team.

After all, if he was able to keep Massa in Ferrari all these years... what couldn't he do?

Edited by Deerfield, 10 July 2013 - 15:45.

[Szoelloe]

Ok so we might have to wait for another decade to find out since the current and former WDCs are pretty much in charge

Ehhmm, they are not. You may be right about the decade thingy though. If things go according to plan, 9 years from now Vettel is still WDC, and the listed drivers are history in F1.

[Kobasmashi]

2003 - Button was 9th in the WDC standings and with no podiums. Did not achieve 1st win until 7th season in F1. My point still stands.

It's very hard to win a race without the car to do so.

As for the topic, I voted Hulk, he seems to have the talent and also the mentality to reach the top. Bianchi seems very talented and is going to go far too I think, as should Bottas, about whom Williams have been raving.

[alframsey]

I was torn between Rosberg, Hulk and Perez. I ultimately went with Hulk as I think he is a better driver than Perez and will sooner or later land a competitive drive, I also think Rosberg has a very good chance but I'm confident Lewis will beat him every year he is Nico's teammate.

[Kingshark]

The next 3 champions will be:

Robin Frijns in 2017
Felipe Nasr in 2018
Stoffel Vandoorne in 2019

Just my two cents.;)

[noikeee]

The next 3 champions will be:

Robin Frijns in 2017
Felipe Nasr in 2018
Stoffel Vandoorne in 2019

Just my two cents.;)

Not impossible on Frijns or Vandoorne, but I don't really believe in Nasr anymore. Quick, solid, consistent, and heavily backed - I'm sure he'll be in F1 and probably next year already. But if he was truly special he'd surely have won a GP2 race by now. Not really making a mark of a world champion, I've seen weirder things happen but the odds on that should be astronomical.