Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are the two oldest drivers on the Formula 1 grid. They rank first and second respectively on the list of all-time race starts.<\/p>\n
Both drivers are clearly approaching the end of their careers. Alonso could retire next year<\/a> \u2013 he recently revealed that he\u2019ll be more inclined to walk away if he can go out on a high with Aston Martin.<\/p>\n Hamilton\u2019s plans are less certain. The guaranteed period of his Ferrari contract ends in 2026, and it\u2019s difficult to imagine the relationship continuing if the second season repeats the first.<\/p>\n RANKDRIVERSTARTS1Fernando Alonso4182Lewis Hamilton3733Kimi Raikkonen3494Rubens Barrichello3235Michael Schumacher307The F1 drivers with the most race starts<\/p>\n It\u2019s believed that Hamilton can activate an option for 2027<\/a>, but that will only appeal if Ferrari are contenders under the new regulations. A move elsewhere is theoretically possible, though it\u2019s unclear if one of the most desirable seats would still be available.<\/p>\n F1 fans will \u2018focus on the newer generation\u2019 when Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton retire<\/p>\n In an interview with ESPN<\/a>, Alonso was asked what his legacy will be when he retires. He\u2019s won two world championships, but the last of those was nearly 20 years ago. <\/p>\n Alonso had his heart broken twice at Ferrari<\/a>, missing out to Sebastian Vettel at the 2010 and 2012 title-deciders. He gambled on McLaren\u2019s disastrous reunion with Honda and retired in 2018. <\/p>\n Vettel knew Alonso would come back<\/a>, and he did so in 2021 with Alpine. While he\u2019s scored a handful of podiums during his third stint in the sport, he hasn\u2019t added to his win tally.<\/p>\n Alonso<\/a> hopes to be remembered as an \u2018all-round driver\u2019 who could extract the \u2018maximum\u2019 from any car, in any category (he won the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2018 and 2019, and has also raced in the Indy500), but says both he and Hamilton<\/a>, the most successful driver of his generation, will be \u2018forgotten\u2019 when the \u2018newer generation\u2019 takes over.<\/p>\n \u201cI think people in the paddock will probably remember that I was an all-round driver,\u201d he said. \u201cI was able to drive different cars with different competitiveness, always at the maximum. <\/p>\n \u201cIn different categories as well, different series in motorsport and try to be competitive in all of them. So that\u2019s probably enough for me and this is a very good compliment already.<\/p>\n \u201cBut for the outside world, I think I will be forgotten very fast. Like everyone else. There is no one in the paddock, even\u00a0Lewis with seven championships\u2026 after four or five years that he\u2019s off the radar, people will just focus on the newer generation. It happens always.\u201d<\/p>\n Why Toto Wolff thinks nobody will remember Lewis Hamilton\u2019s Ferrari stint<\/p>\n Ralf Schumacher says Hamilton and Ferrari will need to go their \u2018separate ways\u2019<\/a> if they lose trust in one another. The Azerbaijan weekend was another test of their relationship.<\/p>\n Fred Vasseur disagreed with Hamilton<\/a> after qualifying, when the British driver blamed poor execution for a Q2 exit. He also apologised to the team and to Charles Leclerc after slowing down too late to let the Monegasque through at the end of the race.<\/p>\n But even if the move doesn\u2019t work out, Toto Wolff says \u2018nobody\u2019 will remember Hamilton racing for Ferrari<\/a>. He\u2019s confident it wouldn\u2019t affect his former driver\u2019s legacy.<\/p>\n