Formula 1: Two-round, 10-team 2021 mock draft
By Asher Fair
Alfa Romeo – Round 1, Pick 3 (Pick 3 overall): George Russell
George Russell has a case as the #1 overall pick, but he falls to #3 simply because Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc have proven themselves over the course of full seasons in top machinery. Russell has only had one race in great equipment.
But he certainly proved his worth in that one race, dominating it and only failing to win after two issues, a botched pit stop by the team and a subsequent tire puncture, dropped him down the order during separate parts of the race. There is absolutely no argument; he clearly has world champion potential, and he is only 23 years old.
Even in the slow Williams car, Russell has been impressive. In 40 starts, he has never been outqualified by a Williams teammate.
AlphaTauri – Round 1, Pick 4 (Pick 4 overall): Lewis Hamilton
There’s only so far I can drop Lewis Hamilton simply because he is 36 years old and all but two other active drivers are younger than he is. So he comes in at #4 overall and lands at AlphaTauri.
He is still a seven-time world champion, something that only the great Michael Schumacher can say, and he is also the four-time reigning champion and a winner of six of the last seven championships. There’s no doubt that he can get eight or maybe even nine or 10 titles before he retires.
He is also the sport’s all-time winningest driver with 96 victories, and it’s not hard to see him adding quite a few more wins to that total.