113 replies to this topic

[Graveltrappen]

https://www.motorspo...ntil-40-998296/

Also a hope to return to Enstone. Bet he wishes he never left.

Massa was starting to be considered ‘too old’ aged 36. What calibre of driver would have the capacity to hang onto a drive that long?

[sopa]

Well, I think in his case it will be dependent on if teams want to keep signing him that long... I somehow doubt. Usually drivers bow out at 36-37 and decent midfield drivers are really struggling to find a seat beyond that age. Top drivers, yeah, could still keep racing if they are bothered.

[LuckyStrike1]

Well sooner or later he is bound to find some brakes that works. 

[AustinF1]

Realistic? Sure, if he's good enough. I have my doubts about that, but physically speaking, I have no doubt it can be done.

[hogstar]

He's not good enough to be driving at 40 as they'll be too much talent coming through. 

[Clatter]

Good to have a goal, but doubt teams will view him as special enough to continue hiring him.

[MJB5990]

God I hope not.

[as65p]

His time with Kimi in the same team suggests he's somewhere in that ballpark, performance wise. So he should ask his former teammate how to get a contract-for-life in a top team. Obviously he's got neither past fame nor a comparable following, also no top driver buddy still at his peak for whom to present himself as the ideal teammate, all of which will make it harder.

 

Slim chances, all in all.

[spacekid]

Alonso probably could, if he wants to.

Grosjean not so much.

[JHSingo]

Unless you're a true great, it's always the team who decides how long you stay rather than the driver.

 

Guess he has something to aim for, but I don't rate his chances too highly. As soon as his form dips (as it inevitably will do at some age) or when someone with a big cheque the next hot shot talent comes along, he'll be out.

[Risil]

That's 2026. So, ambitious. He's a very good driver, and definitely been worthy of his place in F1 from 2012 to the present day.

 

I subscribe to the school of thought that says drivers don't physically "age out" of the sport, like footballers or basketball players do, as much as lose their competitive intensity and will to adapt to the constant change that comes with being an F1 driver. During his F1 "gap year" after getting dumped from the sport in 2009, Grosjean drove just about everything and did it really well, so I rate his staying power as higher than most of his peers.

 

Can any non-world champion driver stay in F1 till their fortieth birthday? Well, Pedro de la Rosa did.

[kevinracefan]

some days he's not good enough to race that day, much less when he's 40..

[loki]

He'll be lucky to have a seat in a few years let alone when he's 40.

[PlatenGlass]

Barrichello couldn't make it despite wanting to stay in F1 and generally getting the better of Hulkenberg and Maldonado in his final two years. Age counts against you, regardless of how you're driving.

Edited by PlatenGlass, 23 January 2018 - 19:55.

[HeadFirst]

The question is really ... "What kind of driver can last that long?" Big time winners of course, but Grosjean certainly isn't one of those and I can't see him being one in the future. There is another possibility however. If Grosjean is willing to play the role of second driver never questioning team orders or strategy, scoring good points for his team, successfully mentoring young drivers his team sees as future leaders, he might be able to extend his career. A driver like that could be a real asset to a mid-field team.

[E1pix]

Mario won the WC at 38, so why not?

[LBDN]

Realistic?

In short no

In long, definitely not.

[PayasYouRace]

Unless he becomes an owner-driver, I can’t see him being in demand for long enough.

[August]

Many drivers race into their 40s and are still competitive. There are just some reasons why 35+ drivers are quite rare in F1.

 

Most drivers enter F1 in their early 20s. By your 30s, teams have already seen your potential. If you aren't champion material, teams rather take a promising youngster. Grosjean and Hülkenberg are the only 30+ drivers without a WDC, right? And I wonder how much longer they will be retained by their current teams if they don't do something magical.

 

If you've shown you can race for the championship, then you can probably continue as long as you still keep on showing your speed.

[jjcale]

I struggle to see RG being in F1 past 2018 ... and I consider myself a fan - at least of his tail happy driving style. 

[charly0418]

Kind of going OT here, but I can see Perez going until very late if Slim keeps his sponsorship and he keeps a Massa like performance level late in his career .

 

10 more years in the midfield

[Neno]

No. He wont get a chance to do it. Unless he is interested in driving for bottom team, likely new customer. 

[johnmhinds]

Probably jinxed himself saying something like that.

Now he won’t get a drive for next season.

[Les]

Of course not!

[ch103]

I like Romain and I think he can race until he is 40, but it will not be in F1.  IndyCar or WEC sure.

[RPM40]

If Haas dumped him I doubt he’d find a seat personally

[Graveltrappen]

The question is really ... "What kind of driver can last that long?" Big time winners of course, but Grosjean certainly isn't one of those and I can't see him being one in the future. There is another possibility however. If Grosjean is willing to play the role of second driver never questioning team orders or strategy, scoring good points for his team, successfully mentoring young drivers his team sees as future leaders, he might be able to extend his career. A driver like that could be a real asset to a mid-field team.

With him being French, you’d have thought Renault would have been sniffing around him, especially as he was well liked at Lotus. Although perhaps he’s burnt bridges there, plus he’s not the only Frenchman in the village anymore. I think his Haas stint has done more harm than good, he comes across as very whingey and quick to point the blame elsewhere.

[OvDrone]

I feel like I aged 40 years waiting for the off-season to end.

[Spillage]

I doubt it is for him, to be honest. He's never won a Grand Prix and it's becoming increasingly likely that he's never going to be a World Champion.

Journeyman F1 drivers don't really get seats anymore - almost everyone on the grid is young enough to be a potential WDC, has been a WDC already or brings an enormous amount of money to the table. Grosjean doesn't really tick any of those boxes. I don't see him getting another drive after Haas.

Edited by Spillage, 23 January 2018 - 22:36.

[noikeee]

It just isn't gonna happen, save for some really good luck (someone mentioned Pedro de la Rosa). He's already fallen out of favour to some 10 or so drivers on talent, is not known to have any major sponsors backing him... so good on him for the optimism but I can't see it.

[StanBarrett2]

Mario won the WC at 38, so why not?

That reads like an insult at Mario IMHO

 

macoran

[E1pix]

It's not insulting at all.

It meant a 38 year-old can physically be competitive regardless of a driver's talent or history. Obviously Mario's exceptional, but you're inventing a reason to be offended.

[garoidb]

Barrichello couldn't make it despite wanting to stay in F1 and generally getting the better of Hulkenberg and Maldonado in his final two years. Age counts against you, regardless of how you're driving.

 

So Rubens only got to 39 years and 6 months before his opportunities ran out. To me, that suggests it is not impossible for a non-champion to still be driving in F1 at 40. I think Rubens operated at a higher level than Romain (to date), including experience gained at a top team (or two). But it is not impossible at all.

[StanBarrett2]

 but you're inventing a reason to be offended.

I understood fully well what you meant, but you are comparing Grosjean to Mario ????

[E1pix]

No. And I covered that.

[baddog]

Unless the driver loses motivation or external factors intervene there is precisely zero reason why not. Will they get the opportunity? maybe not so much.

[Ricardo F1]

If Haas dumped him I doubt he’d find a seat personally

This. If Haas find a better bet he’ll be gone from F1 next year.

[RacingGreen]

That would get him up to 290+ Grand Prix and without few wins that just isn't happening. Even Andrea de Cesaris only got to 214 and he was a Marlboro man. 

[kosmos]

He's not good enough to be driving at 40 as they'll be too much talent coming through. 

 

+1. The only one I see going until 40 is Alonso, and is a big IF.

[Collombin]

Even Andrea de Cesaris only got to 214 and he was a Marlboro man.

Wow, never knew that. Don't most of them ride horses and die of lung cancer?

[RPM40]

+1. The only one I see going until 40 is Alonso, and is a big IF.

 

I'd like to see more drivers drive a bit later.

 

People use Schumacher as the example to be wary of driving at 40+. But I think more what contributed to his downfall in performance was the time out of the sport. I see no reason that a top level driver with an uninterrupted participation in the sport couldn't maintain a high level of performance at 40. 

 

A lot of what you see with the midfielders being forced out isn't necessarily a decline in talent, but rather the next generations moving into the sport and their general talent level improving. The drivers coming into the sport now (Leclerc, Verstappen, Ocon etc) are just much stronger than the drivers like Fisichella, Massa, Raikkonen etc ever were. But the standout drivers like Alonso and Hamilton are imo still the standout drivers. 

[teejay]

With the technology in training and fitness etc I have no doubt physically it can be done. 

 

A the top level though, those slow but steady dips in reaction speed etc do count. 

[Bleu]

In the last 40 years, there is two drivers who have competed at the age of 40 or older who did not win a Grand Prix, Philippe Alliot and Pedro de la Rosa.

[Spillage]

So Rubens only got to 39 years and 6 months before his opportunities ran out. To me, that suggests it is not impossible for a non-champion to still be driving in F1 at 40. I think Rubens operated at a higher level than Romain (to date), including experience gained at a top team (or two). But it is not impossible at all.

Rubens spent six years at title-winning teams and won 11(?) Grands Prix, though. I imagine his experience was highly sought-after. Grosjean doesn't really have that.

[pacificquay]

That would get him up to 290+ Grand Prix and without few wins that just isn't happening. Even Andrea de Cesaris only got to 214 and he was a Marlboro man. [/size]

Fewer races per season in Andrea’s day

[RandomG]

It depends whether he can maintain his motivation.

[Graveltrappen]

It depends whether he can maintain his motivation.

Doesn’t ever come across as particularly motivated. However I concede we do not see everything.

[sopa]

Doesn’t ever come across as particularly motivated. However I concede we do not see everything.

 

It reminds me people saying Kimi doesn't look motivated, yet he is well on his way to race till 40. 

 

By the way, someone mentioned Mario, but back then driver ages and careers were different anyway. For example the (in)famous hothead Vittorio Brambilla was 40 years old in his final full F1 season, which was also incidentally the year 1978.

 

De la Rosa example is interesting, but you pretty much need to get a very lucky break to get a shot like that. He got a seat at Sauber after they were in a mess after BMW pull-out and didn't know, which driver to hire. And then he was hired by the hopeless HRT. But interesting to recall de la Rosa was very highly rated as a test driver, and at least partly that's why he was given the drives late in his career. Also a bit like Wurz got a comeback, or even Badoer. Is Grosjean highly regarded as a test driver? He could sit somewhere as a reserve driver for years and hope for a lucky break, but still you need stars to align for you for that to happen. For example currently di Resta is just sitting there and waiting, but will it ever happen to him?

[sopa]

Rubens spent six years at title-winning teams and won 11(?) Grands Prix, though. I imagine his experience was highly sought-after. Grosjean doesn't really have that.

 

True that. Barrichello was a bit like Raikkonen currently - a solid aging professional, who has been in various top teams and has all the experience in the world.

 

Barrichello's late career was boosted by the Brawn miracle in 2009. Just like Brawn miracle made it possible for Button to get a drive in McLaren - before that season he was never looked at - it also enabled Barrichello to remain attractive on the market and Williams took interest in him. I think after 2008 no team was prepared to take Barrichello and even Honda/Brawn very nearly replaced him with Senna/di Grassi - his career was dwindling out silently at the back of the field.

 

If Haas performed a miracle and all of a sudden Grosjean was getting podiums like in late 2013, teams would also take notice as in "oh look who is that again?!" and he would be more recognized on the driver market. But if Haas doesn't perform, Grosjean is more prone to silently drop out of F1 outside limelight. Alas that's how it also often works...

[GoldenColt]

His contract with HAAS runs out at the end of this season, right? I wouldn't be surprised if he struggles to find a seat for next season, tbh.