41 years old last July 29, Fernando Alonso took everyone by surprise by announcing the multi-year transfer to Aston Martin starting from the 2023 season. Certainly a courageous move to leave the Alpine fourth among the constructors to embrace the challenge proposed by Lawrence Stroll, determined more than ever to revive the team British from the current ninth position. For Alonso this is theeighth change of jacket of his eventful career, certainly an important number in recent times in Formula 1, just as it is unusual to see a forty-year-old driver on the starting grid. The two examples that spring to mind in the last twenty years are certainly those of Michael Schumacher (who definitively said enough at 43 in 2012) and Kimi Raikkonen (who stopped at 42 last year). To give an idea of the exceptional nature of the speech, just think that among the first 100 older drivers to have raced a Formula 1 race, only 8 have entered the standings in the last 40 years: precisely Alonso, Raikkonen, Schumacher to whom in addition Andretti, Mansell, De la Rosa, Arnoux, Alliot.
And with his contract with Aston Martin, Alonso is ready to climb this ranking too (he is currently 98th), which sees the unsurpassed Louis Chiron at the start in Monaco 1955 at the age of 55 and 9 months of age. Damon Hillwho hung up his helmet in 1999 at the age of 39 after a parable in F1 that lasted eight seasons, commented on the podcast F1 Nation the fascinating choice of the Asturian: “Fernando is working hard and looks very strong. He has incredible vigor. Fangio for example started late and won when he was very old, showing nerves of steel and incredible skills, just like Alonso is doing. If he has enough energy and is feeling fit, why not carry on? For me he will be able to retire at 44 “. The Englishman, world champion in Williams in ’96, then recalled his case: “I stopped at 39, and I have always thought that riders should retire before the age of 40. I am reminded of the photo with all the other riders in 1999, I felt uncomfortable being around kids who were 20 years younger than me. It was like being at a twenties party. And in the end I decided to retire ”.
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