Horner Convinced Hamilton's Age Is 'Irrelevant' Amid Performance Concerns

Friday, 10 January 2025 at 21:00

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner stated he doesn't think Lewis Hamilton's age should be a concern for F1 fans and pundits.

On January 7th, seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton turned 40, making him one of Ferrari's oldest F1 drivers in a long time.

Some pundits, like former F1 driver Martin Brundle, suggested that Hamilton's age might start to affect his performance once he turns 40 as he will be beyond his peak.

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner, however, suggests the age itself should not be a problem for the British driver so far, pointing to 43-year-old Fernando Alonso competing for Aston Martin and having a contract for at least 2 more seasons (until 45).

"I don't think age needs to be a barrier. If you look at Fernando Alonso [43], he's got a fair few years left in him."

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"You're judged on how you perform, not on how old you are. Irrelevant of age, it's about how you deliver on track."

"At the end of the day, age is just a number, and he'll be judged on what he does, not on being a child of the 1980s."

Hamilton's qualifying performance slumped in 2024, losing a head-to-head battle with George Russell 6-24 (including sprint qualifying), which was one of the reasons people started doubting the seven-time world champion.

Nevertheless, Horner doesn't think that is necessarily a long-term problem and wouldn't be surprised to see the 40-year-old back on top, competing for the title if he gets a good start in 2025.

"Ferrari had a competitive car, certainly towards the second half of the year. One can imagine if Lewis gets off to a good start, him being a real factor."

"It'll be a completely new environment for him, quite different to what he's used to. If he manages to immerse himself in that, settle quickly, and get off to a good start, then you always build momentum from there."