Lewis Hamilton may have four new title rivals in 2022 after Charles Leclerc Ferrari claim

F1: Verstappen and Hamilton verbally spar

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Formula 1 is set for a massive shake-up next season, when a swathe of new technical rules come into force. The changes aim to allow closer racing, while it is hoped they will also bring more overtaking and lead to a more competitive field in 2022.

There will be changes to regulations around tyres, fuel, aerodynamics and safety, leading to completely new-look cars and, hopefully, more exciting action over a race weekend.

It’s not inconceivable that the order next season may also be a lot different to what we are seeing in the current campaign.

This year the Driver’s Championship has developed into a two-horse race, with Max Verstappen embroiled in a battle Lewis Hamilton which seems destined to go down to the wire.

But will we see more drivers competing at the very top next season?

Here are some of those who may be in a position to launch a title tilt in 2022.

JUST IN: Max Verstappen ‘very confident’ in Lewis Hamilton fight

Charles Leclerc – Ferrari

Ferrari are having a better season so far than their dismal 2020 campaign, in which they finished sixth in the constructor’s championship.

Team principal Mattia Binotto thinks they can get even faster in the second half of this season, with a power unit upgrade on the way which could give drivers Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz a boost to finish the campaign strongly.

The former is Ferrari’s star prodigy and already a race winner, and his team has no doubt the Monegasque has the talent and drive to be a world champion.

When asked if Leclerc is ready to fight for the championship, senior performance engineer and driver coach Jock Clear said: “God yes, he is absolutely ready.”

He added the 23-year-old is “not going to crumble” under the pressure of being in a title scrap with big names like Verstappen and Hamilton.

George Russell – Mercedes?

With Valtteri Bottas’ future still up in the air, it looks more and more plausible that it might be Russell who lines up as Hamilton’s teammate in a Mercedes next season.

Bottas recently criticised the team over the “unnecessary pressure” placed upon him by the string of one-year contracts he has been handed since moving to Mercedes in 2017, adding the lack of job security may have affected his racing ability.

With his latest short-term deal set to expire at the end of the current season and Russell scoring points in his Williams, the Finn’s time with Mercedes may soon be coming to an end.

Russell has raced in a Mercedes car before and looked set to take the win in Sakhir in 2020 before a pit-stop mistake and subsequent puncture ended his hopes of a fairytale victory.

If Toto Wolff and the Mercedes hierarchy do decide to replace Bottas with Russell, Hamilton may have another title rival in the form of his new teammate.

Sergio Perez – Red Bull

Anyone who comes in at Red Bull must very quickly get used to living in Max Verstappen’s shadow – and the same has been true for Perez.

While his teammate is scrapping with Hamilton for the title, the Mexican is 79 points behind and will be hoping to finish the current campaign as best of the rest.

That would be a good result for Perez in his first season with Red Bull. While his future with the Austrian team is slightly uncertain, he looks set to continue in 2022.

Perez has a couple of race wins in F1 under his belt now and a dozen podiums, and could be in a stronger position next year to provide more competition for Verstappen, once he has fully settled in at his new home.

Verstappen is still likely to be the main man in the Red Bull garage, but Perez is more than capable of springing a surprise or two.

Lando Norris – McLaren

Can McLaren start to truly compete with the big guns in F1?

If so, there could be three British drivers vying for the world title in 2022.

The first half of Norris’ 2021 campaign couldn’t have gone much better – he’s third in the driver’s standings, 63 points ahead of teammate Daniel Ricciardo, who has struggled in his first season with the team.

If McLaren can indeed produce a car that can compete with Mercedes and Red Bull, then as their main man Norris could well be in the title mix.

If he can add to the three podiums managed so far in 2021, and maybe even snatch a race victory somewhere before the end of the current campaign, he will be setting himself up very nicely indeed for what could be a big 2022 for him.

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