Formula One's next great rivalry

Merely witnessing a fresh championship contender in 2017 would be a sight for sore eyes, though Formula One desperately requires a rivalry for the ages.

It has been starved of this in recent years, when being in the right place at the right time has never been more paramount.

While two of the past three titles were decided at the finale, the reality that a Mercedes driver was going to prevail neutralised the inherent thrill evident in previous fights. Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg claimed fifty-one Grands Prix victories from 59 starts from 2014 through 2016, yet the lore of the time honoured head to head contest never carried the expediency of battles past.

Prost versus Senna represents a populist example, to the extent that it transcended the sport, though every great era boasted an even grander rivalry, dating back to the World Championship’s inception in 1950. The advent of media has magnified this once staple plot device over its’ span, even so, they’ve been few and far between in the 21st century as pioneering a concept hands the concerned outfit domination for seasons at a time.

Ferrari, and more recently Red Bull and Mercedes, have established a cyclical rule since 2000 which has deprived the audience of many prospective iconic duels. Mika Hakkinen versus Michael Schumacher – itself tempered by the former’s premature retirement in 2001, is the most recent showdown extending beyond a solitary campaign.

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Notional narratives in the post-Schumacher era, namely Fernando Alonso versus Kimi Raikkonen, Alonso versus Hamilton, Alonso versus Sebastian Vettel, and Hamilton versus Vettel have been largely unrealised for one reason or another, leaving fans to lament what could have been.

Tough as it is to fathom, attention must turn towards future prospects. Should competition open up for the first time since the dawn of the hybrid era, the next generation offers exciting potential.

Nationalism aside, Daniel Ricciardo boasts a priceless charisma with race-craft to match, amounting to a marketers’ dream, thus if he were one of the protagonists, the sport will have gone a long way towards a compelling script.

The identity of his counterpart could well be sourced insularly. Equally, it could take the shape of an unproven though fearsome quantity.

Max Verstappen counts so much time on his side that he could form part of several iconic rivalries, though it’s no given that he’ll immediately provide the answer. In a paradoxical manner, the Dutchman will continue to mesmerise or polarise in varying degrees for the short term, yet the complete package is an undeniably chilling consideration.

A sleeper candidate, hiding in plain sight, is an individual with just one Grand Prix start to his name. Stoffel Vandoorne has been made to wait for his opportunity, though displays every sign of being superior for his patience.

The Belgian, described as ‘Prost without the French Machiavellian’, looms as a driver capable of outperforming the chassis, something future McLaren teammate Alonso has demonstrated so frequently throughout his torturous career.

Rising twenty-five, Vandoorne, pitted against 27-year-old Ricciardo is a mouth-watering contemplation. Much water must pass under the bridge for this to be realised, and coming weeks might dictate that it won’t occur as soon as this season, though it’s difficult not to envision shades of Prost and Senna, Hakkinen and Schumacher in this combination.

With the emphasis returning to driver fitness and machines which leave its occupants’ hands full, no longer will it be a case of being rendered forlorn by an inferior package. Destiny will be reinstated to those possessing not only sublime talent, but those willing to push an extra two per cent for the ultimate reward.

Naturally, it helps the show if they have a personality to match, in doing so, it would offer Formula One the narrative it has sorely been lacking for some time.