abhishekavps96-blog

[abhishekavps96-blog]

Everyone throws around the word ‘passion’ without understanding its true meaning. We’ve been given a unique way to focus on a task, with complete dedication—locked in like a missile. That predator way of thinking is sports. In this world, you must either be a predator or risk becoming prey, so everyone develops a unique set of survival skills. Some are naturally gifted, while others adapt out of necessity. This evolution stems from need, not passion. Passion means honing a unique skill set until it consumes your entire focus. They are called apex predators. Just like Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen—two very different driving styles, but they are the only ones who could break simulations and outperform the car. There are very few who could do this.

From the legendary 2021 season to the great qualifying battles of 2022, Max has excelled in F1 in 2023, with 2024 bringing real heat to the competition. In 2026, Max and Kimi Antonelli should join Mercedes. Kimi is Mercedes’ answer to Oscar. Now, new talents are emerging ,  the Simulation generation. Some could argue otherwise, but it’s  a really talented pool of drivers. Oscar’s performance accelerated Kimi’s entry, but Kimi’s speed ensures that if the setup suits him, he can outperform anyone, leading the team to build the car around him. But if Max decides to join Mercedes in 2026, there would be chaos . The number of meetings, , lawyers,  corporations and contracts agreements involved  would be massive. Kimi is skilled, but with Max, they get a 3-time World Champion, as it stands , the Championship of 2024 is also led by Max. Let’s wait until the end. They get to experience a generational talent, a proven driver who always finds car’s limits and then some. Max is the man, and he is also not old—very young, with a lot of career ahead. Then Kimi might get a firsthand learnings from a World Champion, however you may want to take it. It’s all for Max’s to lose, like Hamilton in 2022 with George Russel. But 2026 should be Max and Kimi, Lewis and Charles, another solid pairing. Arguably the quickest driver on his day in qualifying, able to maintain blistering pace when setup and strategy work—and sometimes manages to work it out even without them. And then you have a 7-time champion of the world. One of the greatest ever to do it and shows no sign of slowing down. Still the driver to beat on his day, no contest.

Lewis dominated, I would say, even in McLaren. Lewis was lethal. You see him in your mirrors, and you approach him differently. Aggressive. He has learned to control his aggression, and now it is coming back. And with the 2026 rule change, Lewis is one of the few masters remaining of old-school cars, without DRS. Very intelligent. So is Max. Very sharp, very dependable driver. He doesn’t make mistakes too often now, and even if he does go over the limit, he most often comes back better in the next race. Max is aggressive. He is toning it down and focusing on the craft. His craft is beyond exceptional. Rain master, very adaptable, he could get as close to the indicated lap time consistently, and sometimes even surpass that.

McLaren will have Piastri go to Red Bull; McLaren doesn’t suit him. He is the best driver on the grid right now, but he needs to manage his tire wear, which he is able to match with Lando, which is impressive. Oscar is the Kimi Räikkönen of our generation, in terms of racecraft. All or nothing. Very aggressive, very calm, keeps everything under control, even when the car tries to slip away from him once in a while. Red Bull needs Oscar. McLaren needs someone to play second fiddle to Lando Norris. He is where the money is at. Mark Webber’s plan is to make Oscar ,the Australian World Champion, and he needs a team like Red Bull to develop the car around him. To get a 2nd Red Bull driver to match and get the championship points. Red Bull doesn’t budge if the championship is not at stake, like 2023, where Max alone racked up both of them with Checo in 2nd. It was just a flex. With Checo likely retiring in 2025, Max could move to Mercedes, Oscar to Red Bull, and McLaren would then seek a second driver. Lewis vs. Charles vs. Max vs. Kimi vs. Oscar vs. Lando, and our headmaster of F1—Fernando Alonso. But you still cannot beat him without breaking a sweat. He’s arguably the greatest driver, despite his history of joining the wrong teams, he rarely makes a mistake on track. The most gifted driver, with the likes of Jim Clark, Ayrton Senna, and the greatest of the greats. Still young, still hungry for that one drive that F1 owes him at this point. He should do something as quick as he drives (I mean really fast) to get something done at AM.

Ferrari is cooking, Mercedes is cooking, McLaren has already cooked, Red Bull is cooking for a feast because when Red Bull dominates, they come purely to rewrite history books and add some extra pages to it. Williams is cooking. Alex Albon is a very quick, very aggressive driver. His Williams stint is legendary. Then Carlos Sainz, he has always improved wherever he went. He is the guy with the most experience in adapting to different styles and design philosophies of the car than anyone on the grid. Still very young, very quick, very adaptable, reliable driver. Audi is cooking. No one knows for sure what Audi might bring to the table. If they could bring Sebastian Vettel to drive for them, that would be legendary. But it would take a lot to convince a 4-time World Champion, who, as I could see, is itching to race because the racing is so good. No true racer can miss that, even if it is for a new team. Sebastian, when his car is under him, no one could beat him. His Red Bull stint is legendary, but so does his Ferrari stint till 2017. 2018 and 2019 were tough, but he had his memorable moments and few wins and podiums. Sebastian’s talent truly visible again in 2022, COTA USA GP, where Vettel overtakes K-Mag, of all people, round the outside, on the last lap of the GP, and with such aggression. No wonder he wants to come back. The Aston Martin stint was too much effort with too little points. He needed to cool down, chill out, then come back and show why Vettel is ranked among the greats. People with no knowledge of F1 quote that one clip from Alonso about him. Vettel has the greatest career of them all after Michael Schumacher; no one has seen such domination. From 2004 to 2007, there were 3 different champions in the span of 4 years, but when Red Bull, Adrian Newey, Horner, and Vettel cooked, there was 1 champion for 4 years. Great driver, great for PR, very good business-wise, very skilled, knowledgeable, kind, and humorous German boy, who wins like a well-oiled machine, like a swiss watch, very precise, but he has broken simulations and exceeded the car’s performance in more races than I could remember. Sometimes, it was just Vettel in the Red Bull , doing the impossible if he gets the right environment . Audi would do anything to provide that. With him and Binotto, it’s tough, but it might just work out. Alpine is cooked, it’s done, it is toasted. Haas was onto nothing up until 2022, but Komatsu-san is making a very delicate meal, and we see Haas pop up in top 10 in qualifying. With the rule changes, Haas could fight because their team principal is one of the most experienced engineers on the grid. Been here since 2003. That era is coming back. Ocon’s experience and Bearman, who is also a very talented, proven driver, would make a cool pairing. Ollie Bearman could feel the heat, but so could Ocon. Strong lineup.

But everything written above could completely fall apart. However, if there’s one thing that remains constant, it’s that everyone involved in Formula 1 is deeply passionate about the sport—otherwise, they leave or get replaced. Passion is the unwavering belief that you still have a chance, and the determination that won’t let you give up.