At 33, Daniel Ricciardo is already one of the older drivers in Formula 1. But would he still want to contest Grands Prix at 40? The Australian firmly denies this: “I don’t see myself in Formula 1 anymore at 40.”
But there would be a situation in which he would reconsider, Ricciardo continues: “If you keep winning, it would probably be difficult to stop. I’m not saying it will happen, but if I’m still 39 be in Formula 1 and win races, then I would probably continue.”
At the age of 41, Fernando Alonso is currently proving that competitive racing is still possible at this age. Ricciardo: “Fernando is kind of an inspiration for me because he’s a grandpa.” And no sooner has he uttered this sentence than Ricciardo follows with a grin: “I guess that will probably also be a headline …”
Seriously, he adds: “Fernando’s still got it, he’s going really well. So I guess it just comes down to whether you can still put in the effort, whether you still want to. Then you just hang in there and play your body and your health, you can still race at this level.”
Alonso as a two-time Formula 1 World Champion and as “one of the greatest talents ever” shows this extraordinary commitment. “That’s encouraging,” said Ricciardo. Postscript: “I would ideally like to win a few more races before I turn 40!”
By the way, Alonso’s last Formula 1 victory so far dates from the 2013 season. At that time, Alonso won the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona for Ferrari, at the age of 31. Ricciardo last won the Italian Grand Prix in Monza in 2021 as a 32-year-old.