You hear people complaining from time to time about the age at which youngsters are nowadays getting into Formula 1 racing. But is it really the case that F1 drivers, like policemen, are getting younger all the time? Are the times really any different and is it valid to worry that the youngsters might not be able to cope with all the stresses and strains of being a Grand Prix driver.
It is true that if Sergey Sirotkin gets a superlicence and makes his F1 debut with Sauber in March next year he will become the first 18-year-old Formula 1 driver ever. This will beat the current record, which is held by Jaime Alguersuari, who became the youngest F1 driver of all time in Hungary in 2009 at the age of 19 years and four months. That beat the controversial record, dating back to 1980, when Mike Thackwell (19 years and five months) took part in the the 1980 Canadian GP. The race was stopped after a first lap crash and a new race was declared, in which Thackwell did not take part because he had to hand his car over to a team-mate.
Prior to that the record stood to Ricardo Rodriguez, dating back to the 1961 Italian Grand Prix, when the Mexican was 19 years and sixth months of age.
Others such as Fernando Alonso, Esteban Tuero and Chris Amon have all raced F1 at the age of 19 and Danii Kvyat will join that group in March next year if all goes to plan with Scuderia Toro Rosso.
But is the impression true that F1 drivers are getting younger all the time? The best way to prove it one way or the other is to look at the statistics, although like most things statistical, such analysis is a little random. However, if one considers the ages of the drivers at the start of each F1 season (ie, in March) and compare the results to previous years, it is an interesting reflection on the situation.
Tens years ago the youngest driver in Formula 1 was a Spaniard called Fernando Alonso. He was 21. The oldest driver was France’s Olivier Panis, at the grand old age of 36. Compare that to this year and it does not seem to be very different. The youngest driver is Esteban Gutierrez, who started the season aged 21. The oldest is Mark Webber at 36. The difference between the two lists comes only in the average age. It was 27 and three-quarters in 2003 and today it has slipped down to 26 and a bit. That is not a huge jump.
It is more interesting to reflect on the situation 10 years before that. Back in 1993 there was a lot more turnover of drivers, with the total being 35 that year. Only 25 of them did the majority of the races, plus a couple who each did half the races. Of the group of regulars, the youngest was Rubens Barrichello at 21. What was different was that there were no fewer than four drivers aged 38. The average age was just over 30. But the trend does not continue if you leap back another 10 years. In 1983 the oldest driver was Jacques Laffite at 39; the youngest was Corrado Fabi at 21. The average age of the 27 regulars that year was 29 and a half years of age.
So, yes the average age has come down a little, but the basic patterns seem to remain pretty much the same…
joeblogsf1 
Very good. I think Sergey will not get the SL
the main difference between those days and now is that almost all of those drivers had already done countless miles in their F1 cars even before the 1st GP of the season due to no (or almost) restriction to testing. Even Kimi had done a huge bunch of testing before he got “the seat”, even Vettel ahd two years as a test driver before getting the seat at Toro Rosso, and comparing him to the more recent “young drivers”, the german had a lot more experience and that with his talent made him shine right in his first full season, as well as being in the right STR (the best one so far as his teammate results show us) at the time. In conclusion, why is there a need for an F1 driver to have more experience in lower competitions today, than it was back then? Simple, testing restrictions, and even with all that simulator time, nothing compares to real thing in terms of physical demand and just being aware that there is a real risk while driving these cars, that just doesn’t exist while sitting behind a computer and a big screen. just my two cents. cheers
The only thing changing is the age of the observer 🙂 Eventually everyone seems younger to us…
Considering the current limitations on test sessions I assume there’s been a strong downward trend on the ability of young drivers to gain extra-race F1 experience. This statistic might be more pertinent.
Depends on the average I suppose, mean v median v mode. One could work it out but I have a life!
Joe, any thoughts on the latest Maldonado rumours?
Barrichello was 20 when he made his first start 😉
And once again you manage to put things into perspective. Just one thing I would like to know though. Compared to ten years ago, do you think the young drivers these days are less prepared for F1 due to the lack of testing?
I think they come to F1 less prepared in some ways, and more prepared in others.
When I was a kid, the drivers seemed older because they were older than me. Now they are young enough to be my children. Also, when I was young, the team principals seemed about the same age as the drivers — Chapman & Clark, Stewart & Tyrrell, even Senna & Dennis were more like peers. It’s all perception though, isn’t it, because Domenicalli and Horner aren’t all that much older than their drivers.
It’s all about perception isn’t it? I mean, I can remember when I was suddenly older than the youngest F1 driver; then older than the oldest; then my daughters were older, etc etc. So this creates a perception in long term fans that the field is getting younger!
When I was 8 I was decidedly unimpressed reading about how Chris Amon had been considered a young driver at 19 – that was prehistoric to me!
Off Topic. Do you think some of the swearing in the Lotus – Kimi case could be that (from the pit wall at least) they were trying to keep off the TV, and swearing normally achieves this?
The most frightening aspect I’ve discovered about young Danii Kvyatt is that he was just six days old when Senna was killed.
My how Father Time has flown….
Another urban myth bashed!
So…statistically not significant!
Another way to look at it….if you torture the data it will confess! So we if you look at anything skewed you can always say what you want. As long no one calls bull shit to hard and that is what we’ve got Joe for! He calls BS when he see’s it!
Over the decades, my primary feeling upon seeing unusually young F1 debutants has been envy; maybe even jealousy. Especially over Kimi and his abbreviated licensing process.
Surely experience (in cars, not karts) is more significant than age? The two Kiwis, Chris Amon and Mike Thackwell, competed in New Zealand events as well as in the UK. They effectively had an extra season of racing experience. Thackwell followed the traditional path (Formula Ford, F3, F2 plus Formula Pacific) before he drove an F1 car. He had a lot of starts in competitive races.
Recently there was some article about this (maybe I got the link from Joe’s blog?) which contains some interesting statistics..
Google on the below,
It’s a long way to the top…
Mathematical and statistical insights into Formula
Joe,
Staying on the subject of young drivers.
Have you been following Max verstappen FR2.0 tests lately?
I have kept an eye on Verstappen but not in specific detail. F1 keeps me quite busy!
If one includes F 1 races through the years including non-championship races and or Formula Libre Grand Prix in which then current F1 cars races some interesting ages crop up.
I think that most don’t complain about drivers being young, but more about the fact that it seems that not talent but money is the deciding factor in who will drive. But I guess that has always been the case in the past as well.
The claim that the best drivers in the world drive in F1, one can say is true, but only because this claim doesn’t mean that all the drivers in F1 are the best in the world.
In all the seasons there have been drivers that were competing because of something else then talent. So nothing new, and it probably won’t change in the near future.
Joe; other than reminding me of my age, a school friend of mine turned 50 today, the constant seems to be that the oldest drivers are (likeable) journey men who never quite achieved their early promise.
Do the kids have more money these days? All forms of motorsport are expensive and even at single make club level, its the guy who can afford new tyres and shocks for every race that has the best chance of winning, while many talents remain unfulfilled through lack of funds. But to come up through the single seat formulae must cost an absolute fortune, especially now that Bernie has got involved at a much lower level.
It also took 44 years for Fernando to beat Bruce McLaren’s record for youngest winner…
It’s just us all getting older and the drivers all now seem like kids…..
Off topic from this post but; ‘Mercedes will now be run in tandem by their two executive directors, Toto Wolff and Paddy Lowe, along with Lauda.’ It’s from the BBC website. If accurate, that’s Mercedes inventing the camel then.
Brings to mind the old saying “a camel is a horse designed by a committee” …
Interesting and insightful stuff as usual Joe but maybe Rodriguez was actually younger than declared age, Jo Ramirez will know. ARM
I stand to be corrected but when we were having some altercation with Cuban and East German pilots in the Angolan War I am almost certain that the SAAF had 19/20-year olds flying F1’s (fighter aircraft).VERY effectively. By the time they reached 25/26 they were “grounded’ to training duties because their reaction speeds could no longer keep up. (Long before the invention of IBM-controlled aircraft!). So if you can fly and fight a 2000 mph fighter at 19-years old while people are shooting cannon shells and missiles at you, I would imagine driving an F1 racing car would actually be quite a dismal let down..
Leon.
On the topic of youngsters (makes me feel old saying ‘youngsters’..), last sunday, Mrs Daniel and I attended the Formula Ford Festival at Brands (my first motorsport this year.. :-|). I went once before in 1995 and had a great time. Sunday was no exception.
It was heartening (sp?) to see so many dads and families there with their kids, many in ear defenders as I used to be back in the 80’s with my dad. Good to see kids being shown grass roots motorsport to get them interested and hopefully become the F1 fans of the future, if F1/FOM ever catches up with the online world….
First race at ten am, and 13 races later, the last title decidng race finished at 4:20pm with the light fading rapidly, the lead changed almost every lap and the crown accompanied with many ‘Oooooohs’ and cheering.
A whole day of cars sliding through Paddock Hill Bend, accidents, safety cars and fantastic wheel bangingly close racing from 1600cc engined single seaters. £10 ticket online. Probably the best value motorsport on the planet !
PS: The ‘Paul Ricard’ sign has been removed from the startline hospitality suite block, thanks Mr Ron Howard 😉
If you’re good enough then you’re old enough. There are guys who spent several years in F1 and were still crap and there are youngsters who come in and look comfortable straight away. Raikkonen only had 20-odd car races under his belt when he came to F1 and by the end of the season had a McLaren contract.