With Verstappen as the overwhelming favorite to win the world championship for a record-breaking fourth time, concerns about the sport’s future will arise if the Dutchman and his Red Bull squad continue to dominate.
With his close-season decision to join Ferrari for 2025, where he will ride alongside Charles Leclerc in a supercharged driver lineup, Hamilton has completely upended the racing industry.
The most successful driver in history won’t join the most prestigious team in the sport until the entire season is over, but the dynamics it will create will have far-reaching effects.
Alonso, who begins the season just under five months shy of 43, will be immediately impacted by Hamilton’s transfer, but he also finds himself in the middle of one of the more intriguing driver markets in recent memory, with the majority of the grid’s contracts up for renewal.
There will be plenty to keep the interest level high, even if the action at the front of the field tends toward the predictable.
