Kimi Raikkonen (42 years old), Fernando Alonso (40), Lewis Hamilton (36) and Sebastian Vettel (34) are the four oldest drivers in Formula 1. They have all been world champions, but the Englishman is the only one who has the opportunity to repeat the title next Sunday at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix . The other three have not fought for the World Cup in a long time, but at Yas Marina they will be the contenders for the other ‘title’ that F1 has introduced this year: the award for the driver with the most overtaking during the season.
Fernando Alonso accumulates 125 overtaking and has been leading the standings for much of the year, but arrives at the last race of the year in second position. Vettel scored 12 points in Saudi Arabia for a total of 127, while Kimi Raikkonen has 121 at the wheel of his Alfa Romeo . A collective demonstration that talent is not at odds with age.
In the case of the Finn, this race comes with an even greater incentive: it will be his farewell to Formula 1 . ‘Iceman’ will leave the competition with the record number of 352 Grands Prix disputed, and that despite the two-year hiatus he was out of the competition. His greatest success is the title he achieved at Ferrari in 2007, when he made the most of the mess between Alonso and Hamilton at McLaren. Pure speed, 21 victories and a free soul of the ‘paddock’ who never hid his love for night-time frolics. “I would not change anything. Formula 1 is time consuming, but it has never been the main thing for me. My life has always been out, “he acknowledged this week.
Alonso, no retreat in sight
Even more distant in time are the world titles of Fernando Alonso (2005 and 2006), who in his year of return to Formula 1 has shown that his quality remains intact. He got on the podium in Qatar and was about to do it in Hungary . Faced with another talented and much younger driver like Esteban Ocon , winner in Budapest, for the moment his inner pulse beats him at Alpine and he reaches the final round with five more points on his scoreboard.
Now in his forties, the Asturian has gasoline left for a while and plans to remain active for “two or three more years.” “Everyone is very curious about what will happen with the new rules. It will be the last race of this generation of cars. We will try to finish as high as possible and then put all our sights on 2022, “he said on arrival in Abu Dhabi .
Also assured of his continuity at Aston Martin is the four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel , who won all his titles with Red Bull and disappointed in his time at Ferrari . His greatest joy this year was a second place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix and, like Raikkonen and Alonso , he has also beaten his young teammate Lance Stroll (43-34 points). The German starts with an advantage in this three-way fight between veterans who have 116 years on their identity cards. Almost nothing.
