Formula 1: 2022 lineup rumors are already heating up

Even before the 2021 Formula 1 season got underway, there was already some intense discussion about what next year’s lineup may look like.

At some point, you just have to enjoy what’s in front of you. That “some point” rarely happens in motorsport, however, when there is almost always speculation about what the future will look like before actually dealing with the present. Formula 1 is no exception to that.

The 2021 season, which is slated to feature a record-breaking 23 races after the 2020 season was shortened from what would have been a record-breaking 22 races to 17 races due to various coronavirus pandemic-related restrictions around the globe, got underway this past Sunday, March 28 at Bahrain International Circuit with the Bahrain Grand Prix.

And even before that, there were various rumors and discussions about what the 2022 driver lineup may look like, particularly that of the seven-time reigning world champions.

These talks have really been heating up for some time now, given the current situation at Mercedes, but Zak Brown recently offered an interesting take.

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Mercedes signed Valtteri Bottas to a fifth consecutive one-year deal last August, but despite the fact that Lewis Hamilton has now won six of the last seven world titles with the team, including each of the last four, he did not sign a new contract with the Silver Arrows until a month before preseason testing began.

He finally signed a deal nearly two months after the 19th of 20 drivers was confirmed on the grid for 2021, and for over a month, he was no longer officially a member of the team.

Nevertheless, he has returned to the team for 2021 (and already won a race), but only on a one-year deal. That alone led to some interesting speculation, given what his reported contract demands were during the months and months of negotiations.

Brown believes that the 2021 season will be the last for both Bottas and Hamilton at Mercedes, and he believes that the Brackley-based team will be swinging for the fences with their 2022 duo by promoting George Russell and bringing in Max Verstappen from Red Bull.

Here is what the McLaren CEO had to say about the matter, according to the Daily Mail.

"“I think that is the obvious conclusion. You’ll see Max and George there in 2022. Lewis wins title number eight this year and is [victorious] in every category; they have a one-year deal with him. George is coming out of his deal, and Max has a deal he comes out of. You have Max’s experience and youth, and you have George’s youth,” Brown continued. “If I am Mercedes, that’s a pretty killer lineup for the next five years. The interesting thing is, what does Red Bull do? That’s a harder one to answer.”"

Russell is a Mercedes junior driver, and he was impressive in his debut for the team in last year’s Sakhir Grand Prix at Bahrain International Circuit, which Hamilton missed after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 23-year-old Briton barely even fit in the car and still would have won the race if not for a botched pit sequence by the team and an ensuring flat tire.

For years, there have been talks about Russell being promoted to the works team, and he is currently in his final year of a three-year agreement with Williams.

As for Verstappen, he is under contract with Red Bull through the 2023 season, but there is a performance clause in his contract that would allow him to leave the team after the 2021 season should they not be able to provide him with a car capable of challenging Mercedes for the title.

Naturally, the driver who many believe to be the most talented driver on the grid would look in one direction if it came to leaving Red Bull, and that would be Mercedes.

Red Bull are set to take over Honda’s engine project after the 2021 season with the engine manufacturer set to leave the sport, so if they don’t produce what Verstappen needs to be able to win this year, it would make 100% sense for him to look for something better next year.

So is Brown’s prediction really off-the-wall, or will it come to fruition? Regardless, let’s enjoy the remaining 22 races on this year’s 23-race calendar, especially coming off of one of the most uncertain seasons that the sport has ever seen.

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The next race on the schedule is the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, which is set to be broadcast live on ESPN from Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari beginning at 9:00 a.m. ET on Sunday, April 18.

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