Formula 1 has had four champions over the last 15 years – it’s not easy to win the Drivers’ Championship in the modern age.
Eras of dominance have been a key talking point with the likes of Mercedes and Red Bull claiming all but one of the titles on offer since 2010.
The upcoming 2026 F1 regulations may bring a new team to the front but both McLaren and Ferrari were the fastest teams at the end of last season and have already helped to shake the running order up a bit.
Max Verstappen really hates the current generation of F1 cars but has still managed to win four consecutive Drivers’ Championships.
The Dutchman has been a revelation and is an exceptional talent in recent times, much like his rival Lewis Hamilton who joins him as the only other driver with more than three titles on the current grid.
Sebastian Vettel and Nico Rosberg are the other two drivers who have won since 2010, but neither German is on the grid anymore.
Nico Rosberg managed to win an F1 title without having ‘exceptional talent’
Rosberg and Hamilton are the only two of the last four champions to have been teammates in competition for the title.
Their battles were intense and Hamilton won the first two before the German struck back at the 2016 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix before retiring.
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It took him 10 years at the highest level to achieve his dream, driving for both Williams and Mercedes along the way and Riccardo Ceccarelli believes he managed to win without having ‘exceptional talent’.
“Nico is a character, a driver who like him, I believe he is fully aware of it,” he said. “He didn’t have that exceptional talent of a Hamilton.
“A driver of high-value Rosberg, but not that talent that perhaps gives that little difference. Not the top class, the excellent driver but not the top class. He who is an intelligent guy knew that he had to optimise his resources. Rosberg worked a lot on the mental aspects.”
Why did Nico Rosberg retire after beating Lewis Hamilton in 2016?
Rosberg said being Hamilton’s teammate was extremely difficult but he faced the Brit at a time where their only competition was themselves.
In his title-winning campaign, a young Verstappen began to cause problems and put two spectacular moves on Rosberg at the British and Sao Paulo Grands Prix.
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He had to be at the peak of his mental game to come out on top and after achieving a lifelong dream and becoming the second father/son champion duo in history with his dad Keke, he stepped away.
He has spent time with his two daughters and wife Vivian since retiring, although it begs the question of how his title defence would have gone if he continued.
Could we have seen a three-way fight for the title between himself, Hamilton and Vettel? Sadly, it will never be known.
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