Hill: Alonso will drive in F1 until he hits 44. is

In the latest issue of the F1 Nation podcast, Damon Hill answered the question of one of the fans who asked how old Fernando Alonso can play in Formula 1, at the age of 41 he signed a multi-year contract with the Aston Martin team.

Damon Hill: “Personally I ended my career, in my opinion, at the age of 39 – I have always believed that the rider should do this before he turns 40. However, my father continued to race until he was 45 years old. And I remember when the journalists said it was time for him to stop, because it was already sad to watch him from the side. He already had his own team back then.

Perhaps all this stuck in my memory and took on a somewhat negative connotation. I stopped racing in 1999. And I remember at the start of the season, when we all flew to Melbourne and gathered for a group photo, I stood next to the young drivers preparing for their Formula 1 debut – and they were 20 years younger than me.

I always thought I would feel uncomfortable being invited to a party with guys 20 years younger than me. And I started to wonder if I should deal with this under 40? In general, I’ve always had such an approach, although I admit I miss it a bit.

As for Fernando, he is still in excellent shape and performing very well in the races. By the way, you can remember that Juan Manuel Fangio only made his debut in Formula 1 at the age of 38 and raced until he was 47 in my opinion. And back then, motorsport was a very dangerous business, meaning Fangio had nerves of steel, and not just his legendary racing skills.

The same can be said about Alonso. Therefore, in my opinion, the most important thing that Fernando still loves racing is he is full of energy – so why not continue racing? I think he can do this until…what age to call it? When does he decide to end his career? Let’s say he will drive in Formula 1 until he is 44.

The racer has to believe 100% in himself, in his strength, and he cannot doubt that he is doing everything right. I must admit I was influenced by my father’s death – I was very young at the time. And when I finished my career, I thought about family, because I already had four children. And I didn’t want them to experience what I’ve been through in my time.

I was in a conflict situation, the racer and the father were fighting inside me, and it was very uncomfortable. This influenced my decision, but riders not connected by family ties are still in a slightly different position…”