Todt: "Drivers over 35 are past it!"

[Invincible]

Jean Todt, Ferrari's team principal, has said that Mika Hakkinen will struggle if he returns to F1 after his year out. Speaking to University students at the Parma Institute in Italy on Friday, Todt also said he thought any driver over 35 was "past it."

"I think it can take just one year's rest to make an eventual return difficult," he said, "I also think that once you are past 35 or 36-years-old it is hard to stay very competitive."

In F1 these days the slant seems to be toward the youngsters, but both Niki Lauda and Alain Prost took time out from racing and returned to take Championship titles. Hakkinen is adamant that he will return and says he will only drive for McLaren, but with the team taking Kimi Raikkonen on board will there be room for Hakkinen ?

Todt's comments about driver age seem to be true in some cases, Jean Alesi retired at the end of this season, bring the oldest driver at 37, a fact that the press never seemed to tire of reminding him. Eddie Irvine now takes over as F1's "veteran" and has already been plagued by rumours of retirement. The Irishman, however, says he has no intention of quitting. Speaking on his own website, Irvine states "I Am Not, Repeat Not, Retiring! I think that at the end of next year's F1 season, all the grand prix journalists should be forced to take a holiday, as some of them obviously need it."

Loudmouth Irvine returns

I wonder what Todt will say when Schuey turns 35!

[Aysedasi]

I guess that spoils my chances of replacing TGF at Ferrari when he retires.........

[Number Juan]

Originally posted by Invincible


Loudmouth Irvine returns

I wonder what Todt will say when Schuey turns 35!

i dont care what he would say - he's soooo wrong!!! i mean before F1 got so professional, you had 40-50 year old drivers competing and winning!!! of course F1 has changed since then, but the most vital of things for a racing driver - a racing brain; it grows as you gain more experince...personally in F1 this day and age, i think that 38 is the absolute limit as F1 is so physically demanding, and you have to have commitment...of course - when you're 20-odd, you wouldnt think twice about going around a corner at 110%-but when you're 30-odd with a wife and kids...in the words of martin brundle: "those barriers seem awfully closer"

[f1manoz]

Let's see:

Nigel Mansell won his F1 title at 39 and then the CART title at 40!
Alain Prost was 38 when he won his fourth title in 1993.
Juan Fangio was 40 when he won his first world title.
Jack Brabham won his third world title at 40, and was competitive right up until he retired at 44.

[Schumacher]

True but even a machine like Prost wouldnt be able to handle todays F1 racing.The likes of Berger,Alesi,Hill,Herbert,Brundle,etc all proved that F1 is a young mans sport.

I dont even see Michael hanging around after he`s 36. Especially if he decides to buy Sauber

[Gt_R]

I think the exact age at where a driver is non-competitive varies... i mean...isnt it all about relativity?

I think it would be fairer to say that a driver past 35 would be past his peak. He might still be the best of all the drivers on the grid, but he is no longer performing at his all time best. Compared to his best moment, he would start to fade. His performance is starting to erode as he gets older...

And a driver who is more talented and physically fit would be able to extent that age border further by a couple of years at most.

[Ray Bell]

Originally posted by Number Juan
....i mean before F1 got so professional, you had 40-50 year old drivers competing and winning!!! of course F1 has changed since then...

Yes, Fangio and Moss were never all that professional, no sponsor's names on their outfits... whoa! hang on! You mean before it got so commercial!

but the most vital of things for a racing driver - a racing brain; it grows as you gain more experience....

This is dead right, ask any top driver who's been around for a while... they have learned to let the car do more work, it takes less out of them!

The 'wife and family' syndrome isn't necessarily true at all...

[jetsetter]

It all depends on the driver as some drivers peak earlier than others, while at 35 some drivers are tiring & looking at retirement others are just hitting their prime.

[racer69]

quote by Schumacher:-

"True but even a machine like Prost wouldnt be able to handle todays F1 racing.The likes of Berger,Alesi,Hill,Herbert,Brundle,etc all proved that F1 is a young mans sport."

F1 cars are som much easier to drive these days compared to the past.

How do you think someone like Raikkinen this year or Button last year would have gone with over 1000bhp from a Turbo, having to drive one handed around Monaco due to the manual gearbox.

That's were the experience counted, and the stars clearly stood out, but not anymore

[Glen]

Racer 69

Schumacher thinks someone like Prost wouldn't be able to handle it, wheras you think today's cars are really easy... I think I'd be inclined to listen to the world champ - who would know something about it!

They didn't have knife-edge groved tyres in the turbo era. Or areodynamics so refined that they work distinctly less well once the car is sideways. All of which means that its harder for the armchair enthusiast to appreciate the level of skill - which is nevertheless every bit as high as in days gone by.

No matter how much some people might want to believe that their old heroes were better than today's, the plain fact is that F1 is just as difficult as ever, but in different ways.

[zealot]

Glen, I don't think it was THAT SCHUMACHER he was referring to. (Please read the whole thread before posting.)

[Mekola]

Past it? Also if they are well-funded?
Rembember when Giovanni Lavaggi debuted in F1 with 37 years old in 1995.

[Glen]

Oops

Zealot - I Do read the whole thread, just not all the names!

[Bononi]

Well, the trends now are the more younger you get in, the more younger you get out. Being in F1 for too long without results is something of the past.