Who is the next star of Formula 1?
There are many new faces coming to Formula 1 next season and half of the grid will be under the age of 25. Nearly all of the current stars of F1 are nearing the end of their careers, leaving room for a new set of superstars on the grid.
With Kimi Raikkonen moving to Sauber for the next, and presumably final, 2 years of his career, Fernando Alonso retiring at the end of 2018 and Lewis Hamilton openly talking about retirement there is room for a new group of drivers to become the stars of F1. But who will they be?
Daniel Ricciardo was set to be the next big thing in F1 but has yet to deliver a drivers championship and was outperformed by Max Verstappen throughout much of the past 2 seasons. It has been rumoured that Max’s speed was the reason for Ricciardo’s move to Renault for 2019.
Leclerc was rewarded for his incredible rookie season in 2018 with Sauber with a promotion to Ferrari for 2019 and Pierre Gasly has been promoted to Red Bull from Torro Rosso after his strong performance and the departure of Ricciardo. Both of these promotions afford these up and coming drivers the chance to show the world what they’re made of. Luckily their departures made room for new drivers to take their old grid spots.
2019 will be a season of new faces on the grid including:
- Lando Norris – McLaren
- Antonio Giovinazzi – Sauber
- Alexander Albon – Torro Rosso
- Robert Kubica – Williams
- George Russell – Williams
While Robert Kubica isn’t new to F1 he is making his triumphant return to the grid since his horrifying rally crash in 2011 where he sustained life threatening injuries and lost most of the function in his right hand.
The full 2019 driver line-up can be found here.
Which drivers will impress in 2019?
Image: Webber tackles Eau Rouge © GETTY IMAGES
