Heir to the throne?

[Wrex]

It has been many years since a driver so convincingly dominated F1 such has Michael Schumacher. But nothing last's forever and either lack of motivation, superior competition or father time will bring the Schumacher's reign to an end.

Who will be his successor? Will it just be whoever lands Michael's old seat. Or do we already have a champion in the making?

Many will guarantee Montoya is the rising king, other's will shout Kimi's name. I must admit, these 2 top my list.

Or will it be someone else. Before 1997, few would have predicted (I did'nt) Mika and McLaren would rise from the mid-field to knock off Williams and Ferrari so easily.

Is Fisi the dark horse? Will Jacques make a return? Will Rubins move from 1a to just 1? Will Coultard finally make good on promises of yesteryear? Will Yoong stun us all?

Of course alot depends on cars, but the best drivers almost always end up in the best teams.

Will one of these driver's dominate like Michael, or are we heading back to an era when two worriors go head-to-head for 16/17 races, with fierce battles that regularly end in tears?

I put Kimi and Monty as the future duelist, but have suspect somone not in the frame yet may steal the limelight.

[f1manoz]

JPM and Kimi are the obvious choices.

Picking from Wrex's questions...

I would have said Fisichella for sure, but he's been mired in the mid-field for so long now that his undoubted talent is being masked by completely inadequate machinery. If he's not in a top-3 car soon, he'll be yet another shining example of extreme talent gone to waste.

JV is gone after next year. He no longer has the desire to race, although I'm sure if he was put in a Ferrari he'd still show us what he's made of. But I think F1 bores him nowadays.

Rubens will never get the opportunity he so richly deserves.

DC will also be gone after next year. He's been there now for eight years and delivered nothing. Time to get some young blood in there beside Kimi, unless Ron pulls a fast one and signs someone like Fisichella...

Other than that, the next wunderkind will have to come from the junior formula's. I would loved to have said Nick would come good, but he's another to be stuck in the mid-field, and unless he gets that McLaren call up, will be stuck there too...

[Mr V]

I'm another who's gonna say JPM and Kimi.

If BAR/Honda can get themselves sorted out then i feel that Jenson can also do the job.

A couple of years ago i might have said Fisi, but after 6 whole seasons in midfield teams and dispite some stunning drives and many podiums it still doesn't seem like he's done enough to attract the big boys and i feel that his time might have passed.

[Sato san]

yep.....even that everyone says here that JPM is over hyped , i still think he is one of the favorites to take the throne . Yes , Kimi has got all the markings of a future superstar .

Oh , dont laugh at me , but would put money on Sato in about the year 2007
....i said dont laugh !..hehehe

[Mr V]

Ha Ha Ha................sorry Sato san, maybe Taku can do it, but i laugh at you all the time so once more ain't gonna make much difference

[Sato san]

yer , thats too true !

[R]

Kimi Raikkonen.

[Airhead]

Yes, 'R'. I have seen the future and it is Kimi whose name is on the plate. And all this in his 40 somethingth car race.

[Raven]

Surprised no one has mentioned Fernando Alonso yet. He is the next Schumacher if you'll believe what Flavio says.

[ASCII Man]

I dont believe anything that comes out of Flavio's mouth.

[R]

Fernando Alonso is of course also one of those with championship potential. We'll have more than one champion in the next 10 years, and IMO Kimi, Juan and Fernando will all be among them.

[Glen]

When Schumacher came on the scene there seemed to be such universal confidence that here was the next big thing. He quicky went on to dominate his team-mate (please, lets not get into the usual argumane tover that point) and win races in a car that was definately not a front-runner. Times may have changed, and perhaps that's not possible these days, but I don't see anyone with similar qualities at the moment.

JPM is, for me, a hugely appealing character - as well as a great racer. I was dissappointed that he wasn't more consistent in 2002, although this may well be as much to do with his engineers as anything else for all we know. Anyway - here's hoping that 2003 is his year to truly come of age... I believe that it takes a big man to be WDC, not just a quick driver.

[Bononi]

I got the feeling that it will be someone about to come... maybe from F3 or F3000, or even in the lower categories.

[Damon]

Given the way the Ferrari team as a whole opperates it is unlikely that we will see another champion until Schu retires. No one is ever likely to dominate in the way Schu has this year either, as no driver present or future is likely to have the nouce or down right cheek to take the sport hostage in order to gain maximum success. That said there are a few candidates for the next term of office that have already made themselves well known:

1. Juan Pablo Montoya: No suprise here! Coming back from what many described as a luckluster first season despite numerous poles and a win at Monza, JPM has established himself this year as a genuine talent and star of the future. Now a qualifier to rival some the greatest, wins this year only evaded him as a result of bad luck (Canada) and simply not having the machinery to match the Ferraris on race day.

2. Kimi Raikonen: Again no real suprise but despite several retirements he has also shown real sparks of talent. Second in my list simply because he didn't beat DC this year and a slight lack of consistancy. France, Spa qualifying and Hungary were great but what else? That said the reason he, and JPM for that matter, are in the list is that they provided the only entertainment in an otherwise dull year. If Germany and Hungary were the sneak previews I can't wait for the feature!

3. Any trained monkey that steps into Schu's seat (read Rubens Barrichello): Taking nothing away from what Schu has achieved, the Ferrari is currently head, shoulders and upper torso above the rest. The minute schu retires Barrichello may well come to the fore for no other reason than he has the best car.

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Glen
When Schumacher came on the scene there seemed to be such universal confidence that here was the next big thing.

The thing about Michaels entrance into F1 is that nobody was back then (as they are now) looking for the next heir to the throne, back in '91 everyone was looking at Senna, Prost, Mansell, Piquet and Berger for the entertainment with Alesi seen as proberbly the natural successor, then Michael comes in and BAM!! Totally unexpected, nowadays, everyone is looking for the successor, (and as i have said previously i believe we have them in Juan Pablo and Kimi) but as Michael made such an unexpecting impression, without the weight on his shoulders to be the next big thing, the others have alot of (unfair??) living up to do.

[Glen]

"The Throne", to me, is not so much who is the next champion (there have been many right place, right time, champions - at the moment someone in the Ferrari could do it provided the other driver wasn't you know who) but rather who is the next undisputed dominant driver. The next one with it all - the speed to blow away his team-mate, the personality (nice or otherwise!) to haul through bad times and get results against the odds, the technical brain to develop a car, the aggression and self-confidence to fight it out on the track... Montoya knows where he is lacking, and hopefully he'll find the missing pieces in 2003.

Mr V

Agree there, to a certain extent. All the more remarkable that Schmacher got such acclaim so early in his career. Alesi was unfortunate in a way - F1 sort of got away from him, and he never was able to get the technical side of things up to the very high level of his other qualities.

[Mark Webber]

Kimmi for sure jpm for I don't think so his more a flash in the pan
if we are talking about Alonso then I'll throw Webber's name in but I belive their the next next stars to shine

For know Kimmi is the man and maybe RS I would love to say Fisi but he needs to find a better team in my eyes
JB could be a force for sure but again Car will be his down fall
NH would be a one to watch if he ever gets to Mac
but it does show how good MS is when it takes a package of driver and car to match HIM
MS will be around for a few years yet I feel

[Mr V]

Originally posted by Glen

Alesi was unfortunate in a way - F1 sort of got away from him, and he never was able to get the technical side of things up to the very high level of his other qualities.

The thing with Alesi was that his heart ruled his head, he had a contract with Williams for '91 and '92, the car that Mansell drove to the WDC, but opted for Ferrari. I believe that the technical side would have come had he gone to Williams.

[Bononi]

Alesi is just another example how a talented driver can fail to become a successfull champion in F1. In many ways, most of F1 drivers come from possible-future-champions to a wasted-talent-drivers.

[Damon]

Originally posted by Mark Webber
...jpm for I don't think so his more a flash in the pan...
For know Kimmi is the man and maybe RS...

You're a little confused! JPM is the one that got 7 poles this year, the one with the crome helmet, not the yellow one!

[Maxmil]

Wrex poses a good question, but it just cannot be answered without knowing the time of Michael's retirement. If next year is his last, I agree that Juan and Kimi are the choices. If Michael hangs in there for five more years, it could be someone not on the F1 scene today.

[woodbine]

I would agree with everyone about Kimi, but I have my doubts about JPM. I think he's great for F1 and really Hope that he's the next big thing. When he arrived on the scene I THOUGHT he'd be Schuey's successor, now I only HOPE he'll be the one. I have a horrible feeling that he's going to follow Alesi in being the driver that everyone loves to watch and everyone hopes will win, but he will never quite do it.

Kimi's competition will come from people who are not quite his standard; Rubens, Nick, Jenson and someone from the lower formulae. My guess would be Lewis Hamilton, he is backed by McLaren and is just learning the ropes in Formula Renault

[Inigo Montoya]

Kimi and JPM - its obvious. If I had to pick one, it'd be Kimi. But... if Fisichella gets a seat at Ferrari, Kimi and JPM will have to wait until he retires.

Mark Webber deserves honourable mention - its early, but he's looking strong...

[enemy-ace]

I think when it comes to future WDC's one need look only as far as Raikkonen. The kid has shown fantastic speed in outqualifying his far more experienced team-mate, excellent racing skills most notably shown in his duals with Montoya. Also up until his unfortunate run in with McNish's oil he showed that he is cool enough to run in front of somebody as intimidating as Michael and not come apart. Also judging from his post France reaction he is not one to take losing well, which in my book shows a great will to win. Considering his minor racecar experience, the fact that he came within a whisker of almost winning in his second year in F1, in what is in relation to the Ferrari an inferior car is a phenomonal achievement.
Nobody else has shown to have the complete combinination to compete with Michael.

Montoya is quick, but a little foolish at times.
Button has good racecraft, but is a poor qualifier and appears to not be able to deal with a poor car
Alonso and Webber have both had poor team-mates, so this coming year is their year to prove themselves.

[Bononi]

Originally posted by enemy-ace
Alonso and Webber have both had poor team-mates, so this coming year is their year to prove themselves.

Yeah, but Webber at Jaguar, with its current situation, won't have much room to prove he's good.