Fernando Alonso has revealed that after passing physical tests and inspections over the winter, he believes that F1 drivers ‘could drive until they are 50’ if they are committed to the cause. This will come as good news to Lewis Hamilton who turns 40 next year but is still searching for a record-breaking eighth World Championship.
After departing McLaren at the end of the 2018 season following a frustrating four-year stint with the Woking-based team looked to be over, but the veteran Spaniard made a shock return to the grid in 2021, signing with Alpine, who had recently been rebranded from Renault.
Following a solid two seasons running in the midfield, Alonso made the move to Aston Martin in 2023, and this immediately paid off as he scored six podiums in the first eight races of the year. All of this success was achieved at the age of 42 with the two-time world champion rewriting what is possible during the latter stages of an F1 career.
Speaking about his longevity after the launch of Aston Martin’s 2024 challenger, Alonso explained: “When I make the decision of whether I want to keep racing or not in the future, first the only talk I will have in the beginning is with Aston Martin because that will be my only one priority.
“And then the number I will keep racing, a few years ago I would have said 42, 41 is the limit. But now after last year, when I saw myself motivated and performing well, I was thinking maybe that I can keep racing a few more years.
“Now this winter, I have been exceeding a little bit the physical expectations and tests I did, so now I would say that if you are motivated and if you want to commit, you can drive to 48 and 49 or 50.”
This will come as good news to Hamilton who, at 39 years of age, is looking to end a two-year winless streak. In a bid to restore himself to World Championship contention, the legendary Brit has committed to driving for Ferrari when the 2025 season gets underway.
However, Alonso’s will serve as a warning to Hamilton that stellar performances and longevity count for little if you don’t make the right moves at the right times. The Spaniard is without a victory since winning on home soil at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix, over a decade ago.