F1 2019: 5 rivalries expected in the new season

As the new Formula 1 season kicks off and everyone is predicting who will be the new champion, there is no doubt that there are going to be a lot of new rivalries stirring up.

Last year, we saw the rivalry between the championship contenders Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton get very intense, especially as they became nail bitingly close in the points. Also, we witnessed the sibling-like rivalry between Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo the two drivers on the Aston Martin Red Bull Racing team.

The midfield did not leave us disappointed with the Carlos Sainz and Fernando Alonso rivalry on who will be the better Spainard on the track. Then came the Esteban Ocon vs Sergio Perez battle for who would be retained for the new team. Not to forget the newly born Ocon and Verstappen rivalry from the Brazilian Grand Prix which honestly, was something everyone would have loved if the Frenchman had a seat for the season.

2018 was a great year for Formula One and we expect 2019 to be no less. Looking at the new drivers in the midfield, there is a lot of hope for teams like Renault and McLaren trying to get back to their former glory, and for the new Formula 2 lads who are joining the big boy league or perhaps even the veterans who are now in new smaller teams fighting for points.

Here are the top five rivalries that one may expect from the 2019 racing season:

#5 Lando Norris and George Russell

There is no denying that these two Brits have a healthy rivalry since their Formula 2 racing season, as they were so close in their points count which made sure their every single race counted.

They are great friends off the track but when it comes to racing on the track, these two have respect for each other. They both are here for their Formula 1 debut this year and we are expecting nothing less than amazing racing from these two young magicians driving for McLaren and Williams Racing respectively.

While McLaren struggled with a Renault engine and trying to fix mechanical issues on their cars, Williams on the other hand is now a smaller team compared to the giants like Scuderia Ferrari and Aston Martin Red Bull Racing, and their problem is reliability. Although, they have a pretty strong engine supplied by Mercedes, being a smaller team means that R&D takes time and spares are not available easily.

#4 Sergio Perez and Daniil Kvyat

Checo and Daniil from the 2015 Season. Source: motorsport.com

Brace yourselves, the torpedo is back! Yet another revival from the past for this season. Apart from the return of Robert Kubica, we have the return of 'The Torpedo' Kvyat for Scuderia Toro Rosso, who will go up against Sergio Perez in the midfield.

While Daniil is a very aggressive driver, he has delivered quite a few good results in his stint in the past, whether be it for Toro Rosso or even Red Bull Racing. Checo has a really good defensive strategy, which he uses to his advantage but expect no less from him this season. Last season he finished most of his races within points for Racing Point Formula One/ Force India Formula One team.

It will be a rivalry to watch for as Checo will go up against the Russian in the Toro Rosso who have had a great season, with a very good report on the new Honda engine in 2018.

#3 Kevin Magnussen and Carlos Sainz Jr.

Sainz and Magnussen from the 2018 Season. Source: motorsport.com

Kevin Magnussenhas always been a very fearless and aggressive driver in the midfield and Carlos Sainzis no less.

Sainz had a bad start to his 2018 season as his car was facing issues and had to retire from Barcelona where he barely made it through the race with a broken MGU-K unit with Alonso chasing him down in his McLaren.

KMag had no better when his wheel was not done tight enough at Melbourne and he had to retire when he crashed at Silverstone.

The two have had their fair share of bumping and wheel to wheel driving in the 2018 season when Sainz was with Renault before moving out of McLaren for 2019 but the Spainard is a driver who will not back down from a fight in the race for a position.

#2 Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen

The Dutchman and the Honey Badger have been close friends off the track and supportive teammates on the track. Source: Motorsport.com

The Red Bull duo had many fiery moments in the 2018 season, racing each other and having a DNF due to a crash between the two.

Now that the Aussie is out of the Red Bull team, there will be instances where Max and Daniel will race wheel to wheel. And to make things worse, the relationship between the two bosses of Aston Martin Red Bull Racing and Renault Sport Formula 1 teams is quite terrible to start off with.

Cyril Abiteboul and Christian Horner don't get along well to nobody's surprise. Now, lets hope there is no big feud between the two.

#1 Charles Leclerc and Pierre Gasly

The Monagasque and the Frenchman have been good friends since their karting days, and it shows.

Both the drivers have now gotten a major upgrade in their cars and a change in their teams. While Charles Leclerc is going to face immense pressure at Ferrarias he has to fill in Kimi Räikkönenshoes, he also has to fight for the championship against the likes of Valtteri Bottas, Hamilton and his teammate Vettel.

Pierre Gasly, on the other hand, would be given a free hand at taking decisions. The two ex midfield drivers are now with championship contenders. They will be competing for who gets closer to actually winning it and it might actually put on a great show.

Leclerc did impress everyone with a lot of point finishes in his not so fast Ferrari powered Sauber. Gasly did not leave us disappointed in his Honda powered Toro Rosso with an impressive P4 at Bahrain in the 2018 season.

Edited by Tobi Amoo