Lewis Hamilton isn't about to let age stop him pursuing an historic eighth Formula 1 title with his new team Ferrari.
An eighth world title would be an all-time record but winning after turning 40 has been a challenge for even the greatest drivers in F1 history.
No driver has won a race past the age of 40 since 1994, and there's hasn't been a 40-plus world champion in 59 years.
Hamilton told Time last month he rejects comparisons with older drivers “past or present." He added: "I’m hungry, driven, don’t have a wife and kids. I’m focused on one thing, and that’s winning."
The 2025 season starts next week in Melbourne, Australia.
Here's a look at the successes and failures of F1 greats after reaching the age of 40:
Michael Schumacher
F1's other seven-time world champion came out of retirement with Mercedes in 2010 and announced he wanted an eighth title. It didn't turn out well. Schumacher was outperformed by teammate Nico Rosberg in each of his three post-comeback seasons and was on the podium just once before retiring again in 2012 at 43. His replacement at Mercedes? Lewis Hamilton.
Nigel Mansell
The 1992 champion returned to F1 from IndyCar in 1994 for four races with a mission to help Williams teammate Damon Hill beat Schumacher to the title. Mansell won the season-ending Australian Grand Prix at the age of 41 but all the attention was elsewhere because Schumacher took the title after colliding with Hill. Mansell hoped to challenge again with McLaren in 1995 but quit after two races.
Juan Manuel Fangio
Widely considered the greatest driver of F1's early decades, Fangio didn't race outside South America until his late 30s and didn't win the F1 title until he was 40. Fangio avoided the death and injury that cut short many careers in the 1950s and was near-unbeatable at his peak. The Argentinian won five titles, including four in a row, and was 46 for his last championship in 1957, setting a record which may never be beaten.
Giuseppe Farina
The first F1 world champion was 43 when he took the inaugural title in 1950. The early years of F1 had many older drivers with experience of pre-World War II racing. Luigi Fagioli was the oldest race winner at 53 when he shared a victory with Fangio — allowed by the rules at the time — at the 1951 French Grand Prix. Louis Chiron entered the Monaco Grand Prix aged 58 in 1958.
Jack Brabham
The last winner of an F1 championship over 40 was a grizzled Australian veteran. Brabham had won titles in 1959 and 1960 with the Cooper team but achieved a unique feat at 40 in 1966 by winning the championship with his own Brabham team. He took his last F1 win aged 43 in 1970 and retired that year.
Fernando Alonso
There is another champion on the 2025 grid aiming to break decades-old records. Two-time champion Fernando Alonso, who was Hamilton's teammate for his rookie season with McLaren back in 2007, is still an ambitious contender. However, his Aston Martin team is widely believed to focus on designing a car to win under new rules in 2026, so Alonso may have to wait a little longer. If Alonso can win another title, he'd be the oldest champion in nearly 70 years.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
