Yeah but he's mediocre. Any other of those guys on this list would have also been winning races while Raikkonen struggled to finish on the podium. It's crazy that Vettel won 14 races during his years with Kimi, and Kimi won 1 race
@@matthewferguson6001 he was not hired for that role. He wasn't paid as a second fiddler either. He just became one through his own declining performance.
@@aboredperson4202 and yet by the end of the decade, Bruce McLaren set a record that stood until 2003 (when Fernando Alonso won the Hungarian Grand Prix that year). The youngest driver to win a Grand Prix, aged just 22 years 3 months and 12 days
It summed perfectly by pedro de la rosa in beyond the grid podcast that people will start race in f1 younger but also retired from it younger as well due to burnout
Fun fact: That record was held by another Finn, Keke Rosberg for over 20 years until Juan Pablo Montoya broke it in 2004. We could even say that Kimi stole that record back to Finns.
Nigel Mansell's feat of 'finally' winning the F1 world championship and then the indycar championship back to back is massively under appreciated - and like you said he not only held both titles at the same time he also came back to F1 and won! All this when he was around the age of 40!
Yeah, very impressive. Also Jacques Villenueve, won the indy 500, indycar championship and f1 wdc between 1996 and 1997. Crazy to think how far he dropped after that explosive start. He had the speed but it seems like he lost interest after his world championship.
@@TboneI989 The real culprit was his manager Craig Pollock who fed him with a lot of BS and empty promises. After Pollock managed to negotiate a huge salary for Villeneuve by driving for BAR he also was like an overprotective father of Villeneuve's essentially giving him whatever he wanted and what he wanted to hear. Many insisted Villeneuve to get rid of Pollock because it was clear as day he was utterly unsuited to be team principal of BAR. Villeneuve himself showed great spirit in 1998-2001 and in the Spanish GP 1999 he was a good third for the first 21 laps of the race - more importantly he held Schumacher in the Ferrari behind in 4th during all those laps. His fall came when Jenson Button became his team mate in 2003 and did better with the same car. By this time Pollock had been axed as team principal and Villeneuve realized he had been "sheltered" by him. Some top teams like McLaren and Renault actually offered him a drive in 1999 and 2001 but he believed BAR was the place he's future would be shaped at. Ironically he was right... Williams also wanted to keep Villeneuve for 1999 and 2000 but he believed they payed him peanuts and hence went for BAR and the money.... By 2003 a promising new batch of young drivers like Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso emerged as did the highly competitive Juan-Pablo Montoya. Villeneuve became a less enticing driver to sign for any top team and since Jenson Button - at the time yet not a race winner and not too highly regarded - regularly beat him nobody was that interested in Villeneuve by 2004 so his last years were spent driving the BMW Sauber. Had Villeneuve signed for McLaren in 1999 or Renault in 2001 he'd win more races and his career would be right back on track. Unfortunately his manager Craig Pollock pretty much was what "Colonel" Parker had been to Elvis Presley. "Leave it all to me and I'll make you rich and famous." Williams massive downturn in performance in 1998 was also one of the reasons. The car was nowhere near the level of the McLarens and Ferraris so he felt he was wasting his time there.
I think Mansell is very overrated tbh. He was super fast, yes but horrifically inconsistent. Like HORRIFICALLY. He was clearly the favourite driver out of the two at Williams in 1986 and 1987. Especially in 1987, he won 6 races compared to Piquet's three, but Piquet still won the title because Mansell couldn't finish his races. Same goes for his title run in 1991. And even when he won that title in 1992, his car was so brutally overpowered, but he still got two wins gifted to him by team mate Patrese (who was clearly not as good as him), and lost at least two races he should've won. And also don't forget the complete beating he took as Prost's team mate at Ferrari in 1990. Prost was new to the team and completely kicked Mansell's ass.
Good heavens, you've missed "el maestro". Juan Manuel Fangio, probably the greatest driver of all time, was 39 when he STARTED his F1 career!. He continued for seven years, winning 5 world championships in 4 different teams (Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, Mercedes-Benz and Maserati) before retiring in 1957. He should be the most significant driver on this list.
Being 39 year old driver back then was totally different thing than being 39 now and sitting in an F1 starting grid. F1 back then has nothing to do with F1 today and what happened back then shoudn't be compared to modern day in any way. Claiming that Fangio was "the greatest driver of all time" is like comparing a truck driver and a rally driver.
We also have to admit that the talentpool back then was waaaaay smaller. It only became a more or less global sport in the late 90s. I am pretty okey with saying that you had three eras in F1 that aren't comparable at all.
lol F1 back then was a hobby for rich middle aged blokes. Most drivers were in their 40s. There were close to no physical fitness requirements which is the stark opposite to modern day F1.
Most drivers before the late 90's were in their 30's when they started in F1, this era can't be compared to then since most drivers now aren't even out of their 20's.
Kimi will get resigned at Ferrari in 3 yrs, and by then maybe they will have a good car again. And he will get a final win at the last race of the season, and then retire. Lol
@@rodracer4567 Those Mercs are pretty unbeatable over a season and theres a pretty average driver in the No2 seat. Kinda difficult to gauge if/by how far Lewis is the best right now.
mrbump28 yeah, personally I believe he is the best Rn. But that is simply do because being able to hone his skills in the merc. That guy has and won’t ever win in the best car
@@mikhailfernandez24 So weren't Prost or Schumi. As far as i can tell the criteria was: F1 drivers that quit the category and returned years later, delivering good results or not.
Well yes, it was way more fysically demanding and they didn't have the tools available to keep a man fit well in his fourties. So yes, now it's much more doable. I am not going to say easier but doable...
@@Roguescienceguy true, but there's also so much more competition. And that's why in my opinion it will become kinda harder to see stuff like Mansell or Prost case happening in the future
Well you have to admit that F1 drivers actually got YOUNGER as formula 1 developed. In the 50's the drivers were usually quite old (the oldest driver ever was I think a 53 year old) and with the cars getting more demanding the drivers got younger and younger.
So what does that day for a driver who helped design, build and race a car bearing his own name into his 40s when F1 was at its most dangerous? I would say Jack Brabham and his compatriots of the time would love to race in an age where driver's deaths wasn't a surprise and considered almost par for course. Where staying fit was more a challenge than staying alive ...
The 60s had Stirling Moss (for a while) Jack Brabham, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, Jackie Stewart (for the latter half of the decade) as well as Phil Hill, John Surtees (only man to be world champion in the top tiers of both motorbikes and single seater racing cars) as well as World champion Denny Hulme and his buddy from New Zealand - a certain Bruce McLaren. So older generations might argue the 60s was the golden era.
@@eamonahern7495 I was born in '83 and started following F1 in 1992 and I totally bow down to you arguments! I think the 60's, the 70's and the 80's each were golden eras in their own right. The 60's were the most romantic and chivalric, the early 70's the most flamboyant, crazy and dangerous, the mid 80's the most extreme, turbulent and exciting. And then there were the early 90's, mature and sophisticated, but everything came crushing down at Imola '94...
Fernando Alonso is gonna be 4 decades old. No matter how much you hate this man for not giving newcomers a chance, you still have to admit this man made the most of whatever car he was given. Truly blessed to watch him race 🙌🙌
I wouldn’t put it past Alonso to get a podium next year in a crazy race, say in a similar situation to what happened in Brazil last year or the first Austrian race this year.
Yep, I dont think he will get a win on 2021 too. But again, he's already gambled on the new regs. Just like his suggestion to Renault to "ditch 2021 and focus on 2020".
And then people say how Nico Hulkenberg was a great driver. He was overrated, didn't score a podium, he had capable cars in his career to manage that. Even Grosjean scored some podiums, that says it all for Nico.
Mercedes * Schumacher couldn’t win in the modern era because of new F1 rules stating you can’t wipe out other drivers or stop on the apex to secure yourself wins. Talentless goon that drove dirty that’s all he was
@account removed due to controversial comments Nothing you said makes any sense. It's like you're talking about some sort of a conspiracy. And besides that. Nothing you can discredit any of Lewis' achievements. He's won in every season that he's taken part in, even if he didn't have the best car at times. He's won championships from huge talents such as Massa, Rosberg, Vettel & Bottas. Even if you have the best car, you still need to be the best driver in that team to win it. And Schumacher also won titles in the best cars mate. Ferrari in 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 & 2004. Hell, even Benneton was the best.
@account removed due to controversial comments really going to discount Schumis dirty tactics? Did you even watch him race, or are you just stat junkie looking for a fight in the comment section
@@rumblefish9 Oh yeah. By winning, I don't mean dominating. If the cars were all equal now, Verstappen, Leclerc, Russell & Ricciardo would be my favourites to challenge regularly (others may have different opinions). In his 40s, Hamilton wouldn't be quite as good as he is now. It will be interesting to see what Hamilton's next move is. I wonder if he'll change tact and sign a 1 year contract until the end of next year, ensuring he gets 8 titles and walks away "unbeaten". Perhaps he'll extend his stay, switching again, taking the Aston Martin seat instead of Vettel for 2022.
Schumacher took too long a break. He had lost the reactions and cd never quite get them back. Hamilton I think can go on beyond 40.. He still looks so young
I watched Mansells career in Indycar (aswell as his F1), and some of the things he did with that car over the season to win it was awesome to watch, his 2nd season there didnt go well at all, and the huge back breaker crash didnt help.
Since Alonso is returning to F1, i think that in 2022 he'll become the next 40+ podium finisher and even a winner. Nigel Mansell was always one of my favourites. He managed a pole and win during '94 and a year later he was dumped because he couldn't fit in his McLaren. Legend!
Kimi would have win many more and couple of WC too if just Ferrari wouldnt use him as 2.driver all the time. But that is just Ferrari normal tradition.
vettel was smashing kimi every quali. how could he have possibly won if he wasnt number 2? he was 2 for a reason and that reason is vettel was far superior
Canis Majoris it was vettel having better qualify because team was behind him. 2.car always have and will get treated just like that in Ferrari and if you would know anything about F1, you would have understand that. Kimi wasnt given even a chance. Still he was close in few season just look at the points and how much more Kimi would had gain points if he wouldnt had to let Seb past him or trying to stall competition. But that is just Ferrari tradition to put all eggs in one basket and now it would be the same with seb but he just ignores team order’s and was fired because of that.
I'm honestly not surprised since just because men don't have the same agility, energy or speed maybe like they used to when they were young.. But usually 40 is like the start of men's peak of our primes!! Hahaha good video
Carlos Reutemann didn't leave for no reason. He left because of the Falkands War. He didn't want to be an Argentine driving for a British team. So he retired. Without the war he would have probably finished the season.
Yes, while Reutemann never specifically stated it he's last race with Williams was on the 21st of March 1982. The Falklands War started on the 2nd of April 1982. The third race of the 1982 season was on the 4th of April 1982. Mario Andretti was hastily called in as a spare driver for Williams at the Long Beach GP. For the rest of the 1982 season Williams hired Derek Daly as driver alongside Keke Rosberg. Mario Andretti being called in as a "last minute replacement" and the beginning of the Falklands War certainly would be an incredible coincidence. Reutemann was already involved with Argentine politics at this stage so I have a feeling he didn't want to become "unpopular" back home by "driving for the enemy". At this stage nobody knew how long this conflict could be (it turned out to be short). His retirement certainly came on a short notice forcing Williams to approach Andretti - who at this time had left F1 and was fully committed to Indycars. Some claim he retired because he felt "unmotivated". He finished a good 2nd in the South African GP, qualified just behind Keke Rosberg and lapped faster. At the Brazilian GP he qualified a good 6th and was faster than his 1981 rival Nelson Piquet. He tailed Prost's turbo Renault and was ahead of Lauda for most of the race before his retirement on lap 21. Doesn't appear as if he was particularly "unmotivated" in the first two races of 1982. And his 3rd place at the 1985 Argentinian Rally (in the Group B era no less) proved he was far from "tired".
Nigel Mansells last race was the 1995 Spanish Grand Prix when he was driving for McLaren. He retired the car after 18 laps due to the poor handling of the car.
@@JK7kaye The 1995 McLaren was awful. It nearly killed Mika Hakkinen too in Adelaide. Twitchy, unpredictable and unreliable. Had the McLaren been competitive in 1995 I have a feeling we'd see a very different Mansell.
4:26 : Jacques Laffite is one of the most underrated drivers of the ground effect/ turbo era. His victory at Montreal 81 under heavy rain was a masterpiece and he almost won Detroit 86 at 43 years old on a Ligier. That's something.
No fangio. No brabham? Fangio was just getting started when most these people were retireing. Brabham made his own chamionsip winning car at 40 then backed it up with 2nd the nrxt year
You forget these are interesting times... There's more than one or two stellar drivers on the grid. In the beginning of their prime, and some well in their prime.
i will not be surprised to see raikkonen make a podium in 2022 with new regulation and revigored alfa sauber no matter new team name everyday's race car.
@@dimasachmad8417 I have a feeling the Mercedes dominance may come to an end, they spend upwards of £400 million developing their cars so with the budget cap set to less than half of that merc and Ferrari might struggle
Unfortunately I don't see Renault making a competitive car, and certainly not one which can race with the Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Aston Martin (Racing Point from 2021 onward). Alonso can at best hope for podiums. Sorry, the other teams are too good and there's *plenty* of young talent. Alonso won't manage a single podium. Remember the words.
@@uchikoshi-TL his prime was in the late 30's and late 40's At that time he won a rally raid in South America that started in Argentina and finished in Brazil about 1000km, In other road course race he was so far ahead that he won, and waved the checkered flag to the second place. Multiple wins and titles in argentinian touring cars (the oldest touring car championship in the world) No he was not in his prime in the 50's, but he still have it. Go do your homework before saying BS.
Could you guys do a video on teams who had a championship campaign that they ultimately lost to their rivals towards the end of the season? Like Ferrari in 2017 or McLaren in 2007
Only driver ATM is Alonso .... Hopefully he can bump up Aston Martin to 3rd or even 4th next turn around....2023 .... Come on!! Alonso! ,come on.!! Alonso in his heavy Spanish accent: "Alonso ain't Cummings on anything" "What a yoke" ..
You have left out the oldest Formula 1 driver to win not one but 5 chamionships, All at age 40 or above, Juan Manuel Fangio won his first title at age 40 in 1951, 2nd at 43 in 1954, 3rd at 44, 4th at 45 and his 5th and last title at 45 in 1956. He held the record for most titles won for 46 years until MIchael Schumacher broke that record. And he won those championships with 4 different teams. Let us not forget so quickly the Grand and God father of Formula 1, the great Fangio. no other driver in our lifetimes will break all of his records.
@@deeptenduganguly8530 Still highly unlikely that a 45 year old Schumi would have beat Rosberg though, and he would probably have been replaced by someone else by that time
@@krithikh72 to be honest from the second half of 2011 Schu was better is races , and all in all equal in qualiflyings. that pretty amazing that a driver in his age could find the way to improve. my hats off to the Legend.
@@deeptenduganguly8530 Yes, 93 points to 49 points. It was clear to Schumacher he wasn't going to get any faster while Rosberg became ever more dominant. "but he matched Rosberg in qualifying 10-10" Rosberg was on average 0.192s faster in qualifying. " he was very unlucky that season" So was Rosberg. Schumacher was 19th in reliability in 2012 with 966 laps raced. Rosberg was 17th in reliability in 2012 with 1036 laps raced. Mercedes was 9th in reliability of all teams with 2002 laps raced. Sorry, Nico Rosberg won a race in 2012. Schumacher didn't.
It’s gonna be Alonso. With Renault and the 2022 rules package, they will figure out how to contend. Don’t know why I think this way, but I have a feeling. Hamilton better win this year and next because after that, it’s going to be Max’s show.
Kubica is worth a mention. The man survived a very bad rally accident, years of recovery to come back to Williams, which Williams didnt even take seriously. Now, In alfa and starting in DTM.
Will see if Fernando Alonso will avoid the wall in F1 (for the ones who don't know this metaphor, in the MGTOW - Men Going Their Own Way, although actually they're a bunch of misogynist men - argot, the wall is when a woman is too old to engage with a man as she is not as attractive as she was on her 20's) or he will fail on his comeback as currently is doing Raikkonen with Sauber or Rossi in MotoGP with Yamaha.
If Lewis is intent on beating all records, I wouldn't put it past him going on but I'm pretty sure he'll only move when either Mercedes baulk at his wage demands or when he's been in a couple of years of sub-par machinery.
Yes, but drivers tend to become a lot less "decent" once they are in their late 30's. Even champions. A few reasons are that they're not as hungry anymore, that they have nothing more to prove to themselves (especially if they know they have been champions), that they often have families and can't afford to die or get seriously injured. The biological reason is that their reflexes aren't tip top anymore and it becomes more difficult to keep up the pace over an entire race.
I think Fangio needs to be number one..... and there's a lotta' rubbish talk about aged and new age drivers.... if age is everything then why not just skip to Robin Raikkonen? Let's have him as number one in a Ferrari or Merc? Any takers?
Kimi Raikkonen in every single race he drives that godawful Alfa Romeo. Put Kimi in a Mercedes and he can still win races. Put him in a Racing Point and he'd show both Stroll and Perez how it's done.
Unfortunately for a lot of people, Hamilton will be the next 40 year old to Win a Race. Alonso may be the next 40 year old to stand on the Podium but he won't have a competitive enough car to Win a Race.
In a decent car, I'd say Raikonnen and probably Alonso as well could still compete for a place under the top 5 any day. The biggest problem is probably that they expect to get paid instead of paying the team...
