Formula 1 next year is certainly going to be an odd watch to start with, due to the usual process of getting used to all the driver changes and the new faces.
However, next season will also involve getting used to not seeing two of the sport’s biggest personalities, Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo.
Whilst Ricciardo will remain in the paddock at certain events next season, as a result of his new role as Red Bull’s development driver, Vettel will perhaps not be seen for the entirety of the year.
The four-time World Champion, of course, retired from F1 following the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, marking an end to one of the most successful careers in the sport.
READ: ‘I didn’t do it on purpose’: Guenther Steiner to blame for huge Haas crash
As well as being an incredible talent, he was an equally special person, one who the entire paddock appeared to be incredibly fond of.
Whether someone will acclaim the responsibility of paddock peacemaker remains to be seen, with the 35-year-old having more often than not been the person keeping everyone in check.
No matter if someone does or not, five-time MotoGP World Champion and father of F2 driver Jack Doohan, Mick Doohan, is confident the sport will be okay despite Vettel’s departure and not “die”.
“When I stopped, or anyone else stopped, people also said ‘How will the sport continue?’” Doohan told the Dutch magazine Formule 1.
“That always happens, but the sport always goes on. It’s a pity for the talent, for the drivers, but it’s good for the sport. Otherwise the sport would die when the personalities leave.”
Doohan understands that it will initially be “tough” for the sport to lose both Vettel and Ricciardo as drivers in the same season, with it incredibly uncommon for two highly popular drivers to depart from full-time F1 racing “at the same time”.
The Aussie knows from experience, though, that like any sport, Formula 1 will “produce new personalities” something that there will be a plethora of due to there being three rookies next season.
READ: George Russell asks Lewis Hamilton if he ‘hated’ W13 amid struggles
Oscar Piastri, Logan Sargeant and Nyck de Vries will each bring something new to the sport, with the hope seemingly being that they can become liked amongst the paddock and the fans.
“But the sport is always bigger than one or two drivers anyway,” Doohan added.
“The sport will always produce new personalities. Everyone is a personality in the paddock,” he smiled.