Motor Sports: Formula 1 - Who might win when the reign of Michael Schumacher is over?

I sit and think: "Who is going to win?" Yet with the way that things can go in this sport, I honestly don't know.

As has been said by the great Murray Walker: "Anything can happen in motor racing and it usually does." Yet years ago, I wouldn't have cared less about who won. Not that I hated any of them or their teams, but just because I had never sat down and seen it. I was one of those who did judge the sport before I even watched it. Now, though, things couldn't be much more different. I now sit and think: "Who will win the championship? Will it be Michael Schumacher? Or will the championship go to someone like Ralf Schumacher or even David Coulthard." That is providing that Michael does not slip up or something goes wrong.

But looking at factors of what has been happening this season, we can see that nothing is actually sealed until the last day of the championships. Take Mika Hakkinen, for example, two years ago he was one of the top contenders of the championship and even winning it two years in a row. Nowadays he struggles to even finish a race. I mean, it's not like he's a bad driver or anything but with technical faults and some mistakes from Mika's part, it just hasn't been his season. Nor do I think has it been David Coulthard's. I know that quite a few would more than likely disagree with me for saying that. Although he has had more luck than his fellow teammate Mika, still things seem to go wrong for the Scot and the McLaren team. Take last weekend (1st July 2001) at the French Grand Prix at Magny Cours, David may have easily have finished second or third but because of a penalty stop (of his own mistake) he ended up finishing fourth. Which doesn't look bad when you look at it, but in terms of a very important title, the more points that you get, the better, and it seems that so far, David just hasn't been making the grade that has been needed. Unlike his rival Michael Schumacher.

Michael has been there and done it all. Seen it all. He isn't called a technical driver and one of the best drivers of his time for nothing, but is time running out for Schumacher, or is he better than he has ever been? Seeing his drive for Ferrari on Sunday I think that Michael, in my opinion, is as good as ever. After breaking his leg at Silverstone a few years ago, it doesn't seem to have put him off in anyway in doing what he has always done -- taking risks, being devious and clever and stunning his rivals by doing something different or out of the blue. But who will take over Michael's crown when he does finally decide to give up Formula 1 for good?

A lot may think that the McLaren drivers are the top contenders. I would agree to a certain extent, that they are one of the top teams around at the moment. But I also think that Williams are on their way up. Whether they challenge Ferrari and McLaren in the next few years, as they have been this season, obviously has yet to be seen!

I think that Williams is one of the best teams coming up at the moment along with Jordan. With Ralf Schumacher and Juan Pablo Montoya coming up in the ranks, I think that within a few years, these will be the Ferrari and McLaren of now. On Sunday it was a shame that Montoya didn't get a chance to finish because if he did I do feel that it would have been a Williams two, three, which is a very good achievement. It's a team that definitely has come a long way and seeing their performances so far, the only way that Williams can go, is up.