Biggest age gaps in F1.

[Ranger]

In Valencia in 4 weeks time,

Schumacher will be the oldest driver on the grid at age 40.
Alguersuari will be the youngest driver on the grid at age 19.

That's an age difference of 21 years.

This isn't the record for the biggest age difference I'm pretty sure, but when was the last time it was 21 years or greater?

[Sonic]

Wow that tricky! My first thought would be '95 with our nige. What was he back then? 41? Rubens would have been 22ish? So was there anyone younger? I'm gonna need google methinks!

[luca27]

Rubens was 21 in 1994 and he was on the same grid as the likes of Mansell and Alboreto who would have been well into their 40's.

In fact the year after Giovanni Lavaggi was on the grid and he was a right codger

[ClarkFan]

Fangio entered races in 1958 when he was 47. Bet that someone on the grid was under 26. Likewise, Graham Hill and Jack Brabham both raced into their middle 40's.

ClarkFan

[eloyf1]

In 1955, Moss was 26 and Chiron 55... Age difference: 29 years

[jens]

Interesting that after Mansell we haven't had another driver in F1 in his 40's any more. Hopefully MS's comeback will be more impressive and that he will fit into the car as well without problems. :p :

[555-04Q2]

Hopefully MS's comeback will be more impressive and that he will fit into the car as well without problems. :p :

MS: "Kimi. Can I borrow your vodka holder for my car? I cant hold my Heineken and push the KERS button at the same time?"

KR: <Hiccups> No. It wont fit!"

[V12]

In 1955, Moss was 26 and Chiron 55... Age difference: 29 years

Just to inch the bar a little higher:

1952 French GP, Etancelin was 55 and Collins was 20, that's a gap of 35 years. Not saying that's the biggest gap in a WC race, I'm not going to check each one meticulously, anyone able to top that?

[woody2goody]

Rubens was 21 in 1994 and he was on the same grid as the likes of Mansell and Alboreto who would have been well into their 40's.

In fact the year after Giovanni Lavaggi was on the grid and he was a right codger

Mansell was 42 in 1995, and Lavaggi was 37.

[gm99]

Strange to think that even if you combined the age of the Torro Rosso drivers, they'd be younger than Schumacher :D

[leopard]

Strange to think that even if you combined the age of the Torro Rosso drivers, they'd be younger than Schumacher :D
So to speak Torro Rosso has an excuse if they race back field because they employ youngest drivers.
Btw, I won't start thread about drivers age to measure performance of drivers, all drivers are equal. It's a case sensitive,

[ClarkFan]

Just to inch the bar a little higher:

1952 French GP, Etancelin was 55 and Collins was 20, that's a gap of 35 years. Not saying that's the biggest gap in a WC race, I'm not going to check each one meticulously, anyone able to top that?
Red Bull is preparing to pull a 4-year old from their driver development program to enter in STR alongside the 40-year old Michael Schumacher.



:D

ClarkFan

[52Paddy]

Mansell was 42 in 1995, and Lavaggi was 37.

One off-topic thing to note here is: Mansell had been racing since in F1 since 1982 (?). Lavaggi was in his rookie year :laugh:

[Saint Devote]

The "Monza Gorilla", Vittorio Brambilla was going on 37 when he debuted in 1974 at Kyalami driving the Beta Utensilli March741 - Cosworth DFV 8.

Raced his final grand prix for Alfa Romeo in 1980 in Italy but at Imola - ought to have been Monza.

[Easy Drifter]

Other notable 'older' drivers.
Tazio Nuvolari last drove a Formula car at 48 although not World Championship as it didn't exist then. Drove with one hand holding a handkerchief over his mouth as he was coughing blood. Last race at age 56.
Luigi Fagioli age 53.
Nino Farina age 49.
Hans Stuck Sr. age 50. Raced to age 60.
Karl Kling age 45.

[jens]

One off-topic thing to note here is: Mansell had been racing since in F1 since 1982 (?).

From 1980. :)

[philipbain]

The "Monza Gorilla", Vittorio Brambilla was going on 37 when he debuted in 1974 at Kyalami driving the Beta Utensilli March741 - Cosworth DFV 8.

Raced his final grand prix for Alfa Romeo in 1980 in Italy but at Imola - ought to have been Monza.

More recent examples of late debuts that spring to mind are Damon Hill & Allan McNish, both started thier first full season of F1 at the age of 32, indeed, when Hill was Senna's team mate in 1994, Senna has already completed 10 full seasons of racing whilst Damon had just done 1 full season, despite Senna only being 6 months older than Hill.

Damon has always stressed that the age difference between himself and Schumacher was significant enough to influence performance and I can see Hill's point as the Hill / Schumacher wars of '94 to '96 were contested when Damon was between 33 and 36 years old whereas Schumacher was only between 25 and 27 years old in this period. Schumacher would win his last championship when he was 35, a year younger than when Hill clinched his championship.

[52Paddy]

From 1980. :)

Thank you. I should have known that, given I read Christopher Hilton's biography on the man.

[52Paddy]

More recent examples of late debuts that spring to mind are Damon Hill & Allan McNish

I never thought about that in relation to Damon. It explains his career path quite a bit I suppose.

Although McNish got his first F1 drive in 2002, didn't he test with some adequate-good team in the mid 90's (Sauber, Benetton??) If so, why did it take so long before he got a full time drive?

[philipbain]

I never thought about that in relation to Damon. It explains his career path quite a bit I suppose.

Although McNish got his first F1 drive in 2002, didn't he test with some adequate-good team in the mid 90's (Sauber, Benetton??) If so, why did it take so long before he got a full time drive?

Very good question, it's true that Allan did a fair old bit of testing for McLaren around 1990-1992 and then for Benetton in 1995. I think it was the case that he never got a break at that time to get a race seat in F1 even though he was highly rated as a tester. He was competitive in F3000 but with F1 not happening he went Sportscar racing, something which he continues to do to the present day. His F1 chance finally came due to his association with Toyota when they were sportscar racing in the late 90's / early 00's, they moved up to F1 and took Allan with them. In the end he only did a single season of racing though remained in F1 for another season as a test driver, notably being Renault's 3rd driver when Renault signed up to the Friday testing agreement in 2003 which allowed for 3 drivers to run on the Friday morning session.

[52Paddy]

Very good question, it's true that Allan did a fair old bit of testing for McLaren around 1990-1992 and then for Benetton in 1995. I think it was the case that he never got a break at that time to get a race seat in F1 even though he was highly rated as a tester. He was competitive in F3000 but with F1 not happening he went Sportscar racing,

Unfortunate that. I suppose if you decide to go to Sportscars or Touring Cars at that early stage, then you're leading a different career path from then on. I suppose Jorg Muller (who had Williams/BMW connections around 1999/2000) falls into the same category. He went for touring cars when his F1 chance didn't materialise.

[inimitablestoo]

On a semi-related note to the age thing, Michael Schumacher's second ever team-mate was Nelson Piquet Sr. Now he finds himself back in F1 after Nelson Piquet Jr's F1 career may well have finished! Barring the Parnells in the early days of F1 (father and son competed only a few years apart) that can't have happened too often...

[Saint Devote]

Age has become more of an issue than it ought to be. If a driver shows ability then he ought to be given a chance in f1.

Based on todays fashion we would also never have had the pleasure of Jacques Laffite. An extremely nice person and a driver that justified his place right up to that remarkable day at Brands Hatch in 1986.

He only started racing when he was 26, entered f1 with Williams at 31, had his best years winning grands prix and placing 4th in the championship from 36 - 39 years old and raced until he was 43 years of age.

I was always a supporter of Laffite :-]

And another is his brother in law Jean-Pierre Jabouille. A very good racing engineer that entered f1 proper with the beautiful Renault v6 1.5 turbo in 1977 at the age of 34 and raced with Renault winning 2 grands prix until he was seriously injured at the Canadian Grand Prix in 1980.

First driver to win in a turbo I think.

I always like Jabouille and it was so disappointing at Kyalami that day in 1980 when he was leading when at 190mph on that marvellous undulating straight his tyre blew and he controlled it to a stop. I think it was 10 laps from the end.

[jens]

Saint Devote, interesting that you berate Trulli / Fisichella / Barrichello / Heidfeld, you defend Laffite, who was quite similarly racing in midfield from 1982 onwards and wasn't going to win anything.

I still haven't quite worked out the logic in your driver ratings. :p :

[race_director]

i think that we all agree that we would rather watch a 100 yr old banging wheel and playing MANO DE MANO on the game . instead of a 21-23 yr old getting lapped atleast 3-4 laps every race.


so who care about age of driver's ?

let it be a 100 yr or a 19 yr or new born behind a wheel of a f1. i am concerned about the ability and the sausage fest he can do on the track matters at end of the day

[Saint Devote]

Saint Devote, interesting that you berate Trulli / Fisichella / Barrichello / Heidfeld, you defend Laffite, who was quite similarly racing in midfield from 1982 onwards and wasn't going to win anything.

I still haven't quite worked out the logic in your driver ratings. :p :

I included a stipulation when writing about Laffite.

But secondly, you have to remember that 23 years ago formula 1 was entirely different.

There is no contradiction in my statements.