F1 Champions of the 2020s?

[Rare White Ape]

Well here is an interesting question: when was the last time a #2 driver won a title? To my memory, it has never happened.

We came close when Eddie Irvine nearly won in 1999 after Schuey spent the last half of the season recovering with broken legs from that big crach at Silverstone. When Hakkinen eventually won the title, it was alleged that at the time Schumacher asked Ferrari to ensure that Irvine's challenge to Hakkinen was hamstrung just so that he could be the guy who took the honour of scoring Ferrari's first WDC in ages.

Well maybe it was Ayrton Senna. Or Alain Prost. Who knows? Which driver was #2 of that pairing in 1989?

[samoht]

I think Carlos winning a WDC at Ferrari wouldn't be that much more surprising than Nico R winning at Merc in 2016. Against the run of play, but not an outlandish possibility. 'All' it would take would be for Ferrari to be good enough, but Charles to have a few bad results early in the season, leaving Carlos with the best chance. However it's a fairly low probability in my mind, less than 50% that it ever occurs.

[dodint]

Well here is an interesting question: when was the last time a #2 driver won a title? To my memory, it has never happened.

Alright, I'll bite. What criteria have you set where Rosberg doesn't count as a #2 here?

[Crazed_Insanity]

I think Carlos winning a WDC at Ferrari wouldn't be that much more surprising than Nico R winning at Merc in 2016. Against the run of play, but not an outlandish possibility. 'All' it would take would be for Ferrari to be good enough, but Charles to have a few bad results early in the season, leaving Carlos with the best chance. However it's a fairly low probability in my mind, less than 50% that it ever occurs.

Fair analysis, pretty much what I think about Sainz as well. In any given year, I probably won't bet on Sainz, but in a decade, he becomes more probable than an 'average' F1 driver!

To be fair to Rosberg, he earned his respectable #1 status against Michael so he was never treated as a #2 like Sainz I think. Anyway, as far as #2 goes, I just have never seen a #2 as consistently fast as Sainz in recent memory. I think Sainz is better than Bottas!

Regarding RWA's #2 driver question, Vettel was hired as a #2 paired with Webber. Also, back in 2008, Massa almost won for Ferrari if Ham didn't gain that position in Brazil last minute, surely he was supposedly the #2 against Kimi?

Anyway, fortune could change unpredictably. I'm just hoping there won't be just one dominating the entire decade. That'd be boring... even if that person is Max. I'd gladly cheer for Leclerc, Russel and Lando.

Ferrari's team strategies/reliabilities aside, Leclerc is obviously not quite ready. Of the 3, Russell looks to me to be the most consistent under pressure.

At this stage, I'm just glad at least there isn't one team that's so dominating...

[edit] coming back from the other thread, I want to add one more driver with a lot of conditions, that is assuming McLaren becomes competitive and design a car that suits his driving style and assuming that he is still driving for the team by then... I'd nominate Ricciardo!!! I know, probably a lot lower probability that Sainz, but if all the planets lined up, obviously this guy was able to run with Max!

[Blerpa]

Well here is an interesting question: when was the last time a #2 driver won a title? To my memory, it has never happened.

Rosberg.
Also Vettel was always #1 at Red Bull.
And Massa was equal status with Raikkonen when he did lose a championship making a lot of mistakes. Brasilian GP stuff does not matter. He would not have been a worthy F1 champion.

[FaultyMario]

Also Vettel was always #1 at Red Bull.

Not so sure about that anymore, as the years pass, more information comes out about the PR offensives dished out from the Weber camp.

[Crazed_Insanity]

Jr Vettel won a race at TR, coulthard retires… RB promoted a Jr. as #1?

Surely Vettel earned his #1 status. Had Vettel performed like Gasly, Horner would’ve dropped him just as quickly.

Webber did not like losing the #1 status. Vettel also didn’t like losing that status against Ricciardo. Ricciardo also didn’t like losing it to Max. As far as I can recall, RB doesn’t hire #1s, drivers have to earn it.

[Rare White Ape]

Alright, I'll bite. What criteria have you set where Rosberg doesn't count as a #2 here?

The criteria is that I simply forgot about it

My knowledge of that era of F1 is quite sparse.

[dodint]