In this day and age we seem to be under this misconception, especially on social media, that there is no place for older drivers in Formula One. As a result of the rising popularity of the sport, junior series like Formula Two and Formula Three, have been propelled into the limelight making this misconception a common one throughout the online motorsport community. Why would teams choose to field older drivers that are supposedly past their prime compared to the younger, up and coming talent that is seen in Formula Two and Three? Well, Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel have something to say about that.
Alonso and Vettel, may be the two of the oldest drivers on the 2022 grid, but both are regarded as two of Formula One's greats, with six world championships between them. Even Alonso himself insists that his age and experience is an advantage when racing. So, logically, there is no surprise that both drivers are still on the grid. Despite this, fans still question whether they are past their prime and should move on. But after recent performances, there is no doubt as to why they are still racing in the most prestigious motorsport series.
First up, let's rewind back to the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix and THAT finish. Alonso and Vettel may have been fighting for 6th place but ultimately only 0.011 seconds separated the two at the chequered flag. It even took some time for the result to be confirmed, with Vettel being the driver to finish ahead. During post race interviews, Vettel may have said that Alonso was "a little bit aggressive" when fighting for the position at the final chicane, but fans loved nothing more than two world champs battling it out, side by side for the perfect photo finish. It was the Vettel and Alonso of old and it wasn't to be the last time either.
Fast forward two weeks later and it's the US Grand Prix in Austin, Texas. On lap 23 Alonso clashes with 2023 Aston Martin teammate; Lance Stroll. And, although the incident looked much worse than what it was, after falling to the back of the grid, Alonso drags a broken car to finish 7th (before having it taken away and then reinstated. But that's another story.)
Then there's Sebastian Vettel, showing us why he is a four time world champion. In fact, his performance over in Austin has made his retirement at the end of the year more somber than what it has been so far. Vettel squeezed everything out of his Aston Martin, even leading the race at one time. However, it was his last lap battle with Haas driver Kevin Magnussen that wowed the crowd. The past two races makes you ask "why is Vettel retiring?" It definitely feels too soon.
The past two races have proved that age is just a number. If you've got the talent, does age really matter? Obviously not. And that's a good thing. But, it's not all about the race craft. With age comes the most important quality; experience and as Alonso has said in the past, that is the advantage older drivers have.
Unfortunatley, there will never be enough seats in Formula One to house a lot of the young drivers coming through the ranks but we need to stop the misconception that a driver is too old. At the end of the day, the likes of Alonso and Vettel have every right to still be racing and although, as mentioned above, Vettel is retiring; that is his choice. Formula One is very lucky to still have these drivers in the sport but one day they won't be there anymore and currently that's something I'd rather not think about.
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