Outside Line: Mesmerised by a Canadian Grand Prix Formula 1 podium for the ages

Yes, generational talents are, as the word suggests, unique, few and rare. Formula 1's generational talent before my time of becoming a fan in the early 70s, history shows that perhaps the first of such was Juan Manuel Fangio. And while I do not have receipts for other drivers, I'm sure the likes of Alberto Ascari and Stirling Moss were perhaps generational talents in their own way.

After Fangio, from what I'm aware, Jochen Rindt was a generational talent, but his life got cut short. And you could say that of many drivers of that era. François Cevert, Tom Pryce, Stefan Bellof and the like never got to show what they had fully, potentially. But glimpses of greatness and glimpses of generational talent were there before they were doused by fate.

Then, of course, there was Jim Clark, no doubt a generational talent, followed by Jackie Stewart, another one. And that's when my interest in Formula 1 started to take hold, that 1973 season, which was quite horrific in terms of men lost and perhaps even generational talents perishing during that year.

And the reality is, when Formula 1 and death lived hand in hand, statistics did not determine generational talent. Victories and championships did not define it, because talent oozed through those blockades.

I would say Ronnie Peterson was a generational talent, the SuperSwede, considered one of the fastest drivers to don a race suit. Ditto Gilles Villeneuve, a driver that Jody Scheckter considered the fastest ever. And that comes from Scheckter himself, who, before Gilles, was considered the benchmark. That's how fast he was, although he had the humility to accept, even when he was teammates with Gilles, that Gilles was faster.

So I'd argue he was a generational talent. And to me, he still is. The fact that he died on that journey does not take away from the fact that he could have been it and that he was it while he lived.

Then, of course, in my book Alain Prost was a generational talent. Niki Lauda too. But they had to work hard at it. And doing so took the Formula 1 race driving benchmark to the next level during their respective eras. The talent was not ingrained or natural like, for instance, Ronnie Peterson, but they are generational talents.

And of course, Ayrton Senna. His legend is well told.

Overlapping with Senna was the emergence of a precocious Michael Schumacher, a generational talent whose era no one came close to matching.

Perhaps Mika Häkkinen was the closest, and had Michael not been around, he would probably have been the generational talent of that period, the driver of a generation.

Similarly, Kimi Räikkönen had blistering speed but just did not sustain it after he claimed his title in 2007. Then Fernando Alonso emerged, and he too, one might argue, is a generational talent spanning multiple decades in the sport. But is he really? Was he really?

Because Lewis Hamilton arrived, and he, for sure, was a generational talent, pretty much getting the better of the double world champion in that riotous first season with McLaren. And there is no doubt Lewis Hamilton is a generational talent. He stands head and shoulders above his contemporaries simply by winning seven F1 titles, matching Schumacher.

In between that rise we had Sebastian Vettel, who in his own right was a generational talent. Then, of course, as Hamilton's era ends, as they all do, came the emergence of Max Verstappen as this generation's defining generational talent.

The Dutchman embodies everything the greats of the past showed, but with modern safety and technology, Verstappen has taken the art of driving to the next level. He is the current benchmark.

But already, overlapping like Schumacher took the torch from Senna, Verstappen still holds the torch, but here comes the next great generational talent. Andrea Kimi Antoinelli has arrived. He's delivered 4 victories that are unique in the history of Formula 1, and he's only 19.

Hence, looking at that 2026 Canadian Grand Prix podium, I see the old guard, the king of the previous generation, Lewis Hamilton. Then I see the current generational talent that is undisputed in global motorsport, Max Verstappen. And then the birth of Formula 1's next generation of talent, Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

I also see 105 GP victories and seven F1 titles for Lewis Hamilton. I see 71 victories and four titles for Max Verstappen. And I see four victories for Antonelli. Only God knows how many more victories and titles the little Italian will go on to win. Watch this space.