The Future of F1

As fans, the Formula One community has some of the most die hard you will find anywhere. We all have opinions on our drivers and teams, from our favourites to the ones who simply rub us all the wrong way. Many of them will also never live up of what is expected of them. In a highly competitive paddock, this should come as no surprise.

As fans we are also all guilty of trying to predict the future, a task which by all accounts should be impossible. This however, does not stop us. We all see the potential in some of these world class drivers, and we will always try to predict how their career paths will go. This is where this article links in; in my eyes, the following drivers are the future of F1. Some already race for teams in the paddock and others will undoubtedly make their way there soon. It is also almost guaranteed that one or more of these drivers unfortunately wont have the success of the others. What we should all remember is that, these athletes are some of the most talented drivers in the world.

It should be noted that Daniel Ricciardo will not be included in this list. He is quite probably the future of F1, but as he has been in the paddock for a good period of time, and has 3 wins under his belt. It would be unfair to compare him to others on this list. Ricciardo will undoubtedly be world champion one day. Valtteri Bottas and Nico Hulkenberg will also not be included for the same reason.


Stoffel Vandoorne

At time of writing this, Stoffel Vandoorne has just won the GP2 race in Bahrain. In my opinion, he is probably the most talented driver of the ones that are about to be mentioned in this article. The Belgian has been a star since the first time he sat in an open-wheeled car, winning his first GP2 race in 2014. A driver who is among the favourites for his championship, expect him to be in F1 sooner rather than later. Vandoorne exudes talent, and with his links to top teams in F1, expect him to go far. I predict he will win 1 championship. Perhaps no more. A similar career line to Kimi Raikkonen.

Max Verstappen 

At 17, Max Verstappen is the youngest ever driver to have graced the F1 grid. Last time out in China, he showcased his talent and proficiency at overtaking, and has shone so far in 2015, despite it being his rookie season. Incredible things have been expected and predicted of Max, especially from the heads at Red Bull, who have called him a "once in a generation driver". High praise indeed. I predict that he will indeed win a championship, probably more than one.

Carlos Sainz Jr

Sainz has had an excellent start to his rookie year in F1, and has not been outshone by teammate and future prodigy Max Verstappen. Sainz has impressed in the races he has been involved in, and is backed by Red Bull as is Verstappen. Sainz has pedigree, his father Carlos Sainz is a legendary rally champion. Spain in recent times have produced many great sportsman in most sports they compete in, Sainz is no different. However, with the competition in the field, I predict Sainz will be a race winner, and a great F1 veteran, but not a world champion. 

Alex Lynn

Britain's great young hope. Lynn currently races for DAMS in GP2, and is the development driver for Williams. In my opinion it is highly likely that he will replace Felipe Massa at Williams when Massa either moves on or retires. In my opinion, Lynn has more potential than the other Brit currently in the F1 spotlight, Jolyon Palmer. Palmer may have the better credentials so far, but Lynn has shown his talent and hunger. Lynn has also had past ties with Red Bull, further cementing the young Brit's high regard. As far as a future British world champion goes, you won't get more likely, at least in my opinion, than Alex Lynn.

Kevin Magnussen 

McLarens 3rd driver, and perhaps my wildcard on this list. Magnussen lost his seat at McLaren, despite an excllent 2014 season. However, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso do not have many years left, and Magnussen will probably spearhead the future of McLaren Honda. McLaren's future improvement will tell how far Magnussen will rise through the F1 paddock, but it could be predicted they will recover from their slump, and Magnussen may well be a race winner yet. 

Destined For Greatness

Seth Rollins. The future has arrived, and boy are we lucky to be living through it. Rollins has been on an incredible run since the decision was made to turn him heel, and split him from his former Shield brethren. Even before that, his high-flying spots were becoming a regular flash point of any 6-man tag The Shield were involved in.

Its surprising to think that back when rumours were surfacing of an incoming heel turn, that we were all assuming Dean Ambrose or even Roman Reigns would get the turn. Not Seth. Even more surprising; most people thought Seth would be the one lost in the shuffle after a Shield split, with Reigns getting a babyface push and Ambrose turning heel. It seems that the opposite happened. Sure, Reigns has had the babyface push, but Rollins gained the coveted spot as understudy to HHH in The Authority. Rollins grabbed the so called "brass ring", and has been simply amazing as a member of The Authority, and as a true heat magnet as a heel. He's been the most hated and WWE's most wanted for the best part of 8 or so months. However, Rollins golden moments have come, without doubt, during his feud with Dean Amborse.  A rivalry that was both personal, and entertaining; the likes of which WWE only has every few years (think HHH-HBK and Cena-Edge). The fans responded in kind, and the feud was probably the hottest of 2014.

Rollins laying Dean out with cinder-blocks is considered one of the best RAW moments of recent years (rightly or wrongly). The feud culminated with a Hell in a Cell match, which was another landmark moment as the duo headlined a PPV over WWE mainstays John Cena and Randy Orton. The future had arrived.

Moving on, and Seth was part of Team Authority that battled Team Cena at Survivor Series, and he would then battle Cena again in a Tables match at Tables, Ladders, Chairs and Stairs (why WWE? Stairs? Really?), and be involved in a hugely impressive triple threat match for the championship with Cena and Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble. Back to Survivor Series and Rollins was the sole remaining memeber of Team Auhtority before Sting made his WWE debut, ending The Authority's reign.

Ziggler and Rollins kept us happy over the holiday period

The final members of either team in that match were Rollins, and Dolph Ziggler (who after this match was the hottest guy on the roster for the next month). Rollins and Ziggler never faced each other on a PPV, but their rivalry through December and January provided us with great segments and even greater matches.

After this, Rollins got The Authority back into power after holding WWE Hall of Famer Edge basically hostage. A true moment of great heel work, and a RAW moment that will live in the memory for a long time.

Of course, 2015 has started well to say the least. Mr Money in the Bank is now the Undisputed WWE World Heavyweight Champion, cashing in during the Lesnar-Reigns title match at Wrestlemania (the first man to do so!). A popular decision to say the least, the future is now bright with such a young talent at the top. WWE has built themselves a star, and when the face turn eventually comes, Seth will take off in an even bigger way. It will be interesting to see how he fares down the line, especially with future feuds against current and future stars such as Bray Wyatt, Finn Balor, Sami Zayn, Roman Reigns and more. Maybe down the line we will also see feuds on a larger stage with HHH, Dean Ambrose and Dolph Ziggler.

Oh, and I cant wrap this up without dropping this little gem here for you all...