Max Verstappen’s controversial championship victory over Lewis Hamilton in 2021 ended the Briton’s f🅰our-year spell of superiority at the top of F1 and marked the first time since 2007 that the world title has not been won by either a British or German driver.

With Red Bull’s Verstappen looking a strong bet to beco🅷me a two-time world champion after winning six of this season’s nine grand prix and boasting a commanding points lead, is F1 set for a sp🌱ell of Dutch domination?

The United Kingdom holds more F1 world drivers’ championship titles than any other country with 20, having produced 1𒁃0 different British world champions since 1950.

Ahead of next weekend’s British Grand Prix at Silverst⭕one, we c🍒onsider who will be Britain’s next F1 world champion.

Lewis Hamilton

Yes, we know, Hamilton is already a world champion. But technically, he could still bဣe Britain’s n♌ext. We didn’t say ‘new’.

The seven-time world champioꦐn has not had the start to the season that he would have hoped for as he aimed to bꦚounce back from the cruel and controversial circumstances that denied him a record eighth world title in Abu Dhabi last year.

Mercedes have been woefully off the pace compared to their usual high standardಞs of competitiveness and appear to have no hope o🌳f competing for either world championship in 2022.

Hamilton has gone 10 consecutive races without a win - his last being the 2021 Saudi Arabian Grand Prix - and he is a whopping 98 points behind championship leader Verstappen nin🌺e races into the campaign.

Despite suggestions from the likes of Jackie Stewart that Hamilton should consider retiring, the 37-year-old proved last time out in ﷽Canada 🍃that he is still performing at a very high level, even if his results do not necessarily reflect it.

Hamilton has a contract covering the 2022 and 2023 seasons and it is safe to assume that his future beyo🍃nd the end of next ye꧙ar will be heavily influenced by the state of Mercedes’ competitiveness.

Providing Mercedes can turn their fortunes around sooner rather than later and get on top of the ne﷽w regulations, there is still every chance that Hamilton will have at least one more ♕shot at claiming a redemptive world title and lay down a firm case for being F1’s GOAT.

Write off Lewis Hamilton at your peril - we aren💟’t ruling him🧸 out just yet.

George Russell

He may only be nin♔e races into his Mercedes F1 career, but George Russell has alrea🌟dy demonstrated exactly why he is rated so highly by the Brackley squad.

Russell arrived at Mercedes to replace Valtteri Bottas as Hamilton’s new teammate, and expectations were fairly low given the daunting task he faced in going up again🎃st one of the greatest racing drivers of all time.

But the 24-year-old Briton has enjoyed a brilliant stꦑart to life at Mercedes and sits fourth in the world cha꧙mpionship, 34 points clear of Hamilton.

After Bottas proved no real match for Hamilton, Russell has already beaten his experienced teammate seven times across the opening nine rounds, even if he has been helped by running🔯 more conservative set-ups.

Russell showed he had spectacular speed thrꦕough his regular outstanding qualifying performanc⛎es for Williams, but the most impressive aspect of this season so far has been his remarkable consistency.

He has already racked up three podiums and is the only driver to have finished ins👍ide the top five at every race this year, leaving him 73 points b🎃ehind Verstappen.

Imagine what he could do in a more competitive car. If Mercedes can get on top of these regulations,🦂 Russell will surely be a force to be reckoned with in the coming y🌟ears.

Lando Norris

Lando Norris was earmarked as potentially being Britain’s next superstar long before he made his F1 debut, thanks to h♎is incredible record in junior categories.

Norris has gone from strength-to-strength since his rapid rise to F1 and has convincingly out-performed multiple grand prix race winner McLaren 🤡teammate Daniel ꦏRicciardo over the last two years.

Despite not having front-running machinery, Norris already has one pole position to his name and he came agonis🍨ingly close to a stunning maiden F1 victory in Russia last year.

The ever-improving Norris, who is just 22, has already shown glimpses of his seemingly limitless potential. It is surely onlyꩲ a matter of time before he finds himself fighting right at the sharp end for the world title.

It is no surprise that his starring performances have prompted McLaren to tie him down to a new long-term con♔tract in a bid to warn their F1 rivals of🐲f the British sensation.

The big🐠 question is whether McLar♌en can provide Norris with a car capable of fighting for the world championship in the near future. How long is he willing to wait before he starts to look elsewhere?