Hamilton defends his ‘shelf life’: “You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old”

Is 40 too old to be a Formula 1 driver? Lewis Hamilton certainly doesn’t think so.

Part of the reason why Hamilton has been able to join Ferrari for the 2025 season and beyond is Mercedes agreeing only to a firm one-year contract for the 2024 campaign, with an option for a second year. The seven-time world champion ended up using his contract’s exit clause, with his move to Maranello announced on 1 February 2024; Mercedes replaced him with its 18-year-old wonderkid Andrea Kimi Antonelli.

“There’s a reason why we only signed a one-plus-one-year contract,” Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff explained in Inside Mercedes F1: Life in the Fast Lane, a book which was released last November. “We’re in a sport where cognitive sharpness is extremely important, and I believe everyone has a shelf life. So I need to look at the next generation.”

Wolff later clarified that, according to him, those comments had been “taken a little bit out of context”.

Albeit unbothered by his boss of 12 years’ theory, Hamilton still firmly disapproved it. “Don’t ever compare me to anybody else,” he told Time Magazine. “I’m the first and only black driver that’s ever been in this sport. I’m built different. I’ve been through a lot. I’ve had my own journey.

Lewis Hamilton, Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

“You can’t compare me to another 40-year-old, past or present, Formula 1 driver in history. Because they are nothing like me. I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids. I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning. That’s my No. 1 priority.”

Demonstrating the scale of the challenge, F1 drivers in their 40s have been rare and have had little success in the last 40 years.

There have been only eight of them, including three in the 21st century. The only polesitter and race winner was Nigel Mansell, coming out on top in the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at age 41 – though Michael Schumacher was 43 when he topped qualifying at the 2012 Monaco GP, losing pole position to a grid penalty incurred in the previous round.

Race winner Nigel Mansell, Williams

As it happens, Hamilton is not even the oldest driver on the grid at the moment, with 43-year-old Fernando Alonso still leading Aston Martin’s effort – but with team-mate Lance Stroll not widely considered a reliable benchmark, figuring out if the Spaniard’s ageing may have caused any loss in his ability is somewhat tricky.

At pre-season testing in Bahrain, Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur did praise Hamilton’s motivation, claiming the veteran displayed the same enthusiasm usually seen in rookies. After more than a decade at the same team, the Briton feeling rejuvenated in a new squad is no surprise.

Lewis Hamilton, Charles Leclerc, Ferrari and Frederic Vasseur, Team Principal and General Manager, Scuderia Ferrari

Photo by: Ferrari

Yet, despite statistically being F1’s most successful driver, Hamilton may have something to prove in 2025. After he was signed by Ferrari a year ago, the Mercedes driver went through perhaps his most difficult season at the team. His race pace remained convincing, but F1’s pole position record holder outqualified George Russell just six times in 30 sessions (inclusive of sprint qualifying) – by far his worst record.

Can Hamilton actually grab a record-breaking eighth world title? The 2025 campaign is promising to be as competitive as its predecessor, or even tighter, with McLaren, Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes expected to be frontrunners again.

“I know exactly where the North Star is,” Hamilton said. “I know where I need to go. I know how to get there. It’s far, and it’s going to be tough to get there, but I know I’ve got all the ingredients, all the people, an amazing team around me. So it’s how much you want it. And I can’t express to you how much I want it.”

And if the English racer doesn’t make it this year, he’ll try again: “What I can tell you is, retirement is nowhere on my radar. I could be here until I’m 50, who knows?”