Even though it seems like yesterday they took the torch from Schumacher's throne, the Alonso-Vettel-Hamilton generation is aging quickly. Those drivers are now all in their thirties, and if current reigning champion Nico Rosberg' retirement is any indication, the clock is ticking.
Who exactly will take over (and when) is still very much up in the air, but the timing seems like it could be just right for these five young talents.
Charles Leclerc
Of those that have yet to officially race F1, the brightest young star of them all might be 19-year old Charles Leclerc. During the post-Hungarian Grand Prix test, Leclerc gave us a peek at what the sport's future might hold when he recorded a lap only half a second slower than Sebastian Vettel's pole position time the week prior. The F2 series he currently races in has been little in the way of competition, as he won pole position in seven of the season's first eight races (the one exception only due to his car failing inspection), converting five of those into wins.
Leclerc has said publicly he thinks he is ready to be let loose in Formula One, and even former champion Kimi Räikkönen has endorsed him as the future of the sport. The Ferrari Driving Academy student no doubt seems worthy, but at the moment remains without a seat. Many tip him to end up on the grid next year with Sauber, who has been rumored to be turning into a sort of junior development team for Ferrari.
Max Verstappen
While many might classify Daniel Ricciardo as F1's brightest new talent, with six seasons under his belt already, we'd say the Aussies career is already more than established. Perhaps more intriguing is the career of his young Red Bull Racing teammate, 19-year old Max Verstappen. At 17, Verstappen became the youngest driver to not only compete in Formula 1, but to lead a lap, set a fastest lap, score points, finish on the podium, and win a race. Despite 2015 being his first year on the circuit, he consistently finished in the points, earning him FIA Rookie of the Year honors.
The Belgian-Dutch spent the beginning of 2016 racing for Toro Rosso before switching to Red Bull. In his first race with his new team, Verstappen won the Spanish Grand Prix, eventually finishing fifth in the Drivers' World Championship. Even with recurrent mechanical issues that retired him early from six races in 2017, the young star looks poised to finish top 6 or 7 and rumors are swirling that he could be driving for Mercedes in 2019. No matter whose wheel is behind, expect his future preseason championship odds to soon be opening much lower than they did this year (11/1) at UK sportsbooks for Formula 1.
Lance Stroll
Chasing right behind Verstappen's age-related records was Lance Stroll, who in 2017 became the second youngest driver to start a race, score points, and finish on the podium. Another Ferrari Driver Academy protege, Stroll won three straight titles from 2014-16 in the Italian F4, Toyota Racing Series, and European Formula 3 championships. These performances earned him a spot on Martini sponsored Williams for the 2017 F1 season.
Even still, there are many (like former champion and fellow Canadian Jacques Villeneuve) that feel Stroll hasn't earned his place on the circuit. But after three straight retirements to start the season, Stroll has started finishing races and earned his first points in race #7. The podium finish came the following race in Baku and since then the Canadian has mostly finished in or close to the top 10. Speculation is that Lance's billionaire father and fashion tycoon may soon invest in Force India, possibly landing his son a car there for the 2018 season.
Stoffel Vandoorne
In 2016, Stoffel Vandoorne proved his racing worth in one of the most difficult ways imaginable. After a late announcement that he would be replacing Fernando Alonso at the Bahrain Grand Prix, Vandoorne caught an overnight flight from Japan and then arrived just a few hours before he needed to be at the first practice. A day later in a car he had never driven before, Vandoorne qualified 12th, ahead of McLaren teammate Jenson Button.
He would go on to finish 10th in what was his maiden F1 race, and by mid-September the Belgian was officially slated to replace Button the following year. Despite recording just one top 10 finish since, the rookie's place on the team has already been confirmed for the next several years. With teammate Alonso's future up in the air, he could be the bedrock of the team moving forward and McLaren executive director Zak Brown has pegged him as a "future world champion".
Lando Norris
Racing down in Formula 3 this year is a 17-old Bristol lad named Lando Norris. The winner of the most recent McLaren Autosport BRDC Award (given annually to the UK's best young driver), Norris earned the honor by winning the F4 Championship in 2015 along with New Zealand's Toyota Racing Series, and two different Formula Renault 2.0 championships all in 2016.
Much more recently, Norris tested for F1 McLaren ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix and registered the second fastest lap on day two of testing. With Fernando Alonso's McLaren future up in the air for the 2018 season, Norris has been predicted by many to be the car's heir apparent. Team boss Eric Boullier seems to agree, calling the kid a "star of the future". In the meantime, Norris has been tearing up F3 and it looks like the 2017 title will be his to lose.
