Fernando Alonso is redefining what it means to be an ‘old’ athlete in F1. At an age when drivers are a few years into retirement, the 2-time champion has signed a new contract with Aston Martin, extending his stay in F1 till he’s 45 years old. The last athlete to be this successful post-40 was Tom Brady, one of the NFL’s greatest quarterbacks. McLaren F1 CEO, Zak Brown, believes that Alonso embodies the greatness that the 7-time Super Bowl winner did.

Alonso made his F1 debut in 2001. 2 world championships and 17 glorious years later, he retired in 2018, only to return to F1 in 2021. 2024 is his 21st season at the pinnacle of motorsport. Though he is currently one short of Tom Brady’s 22 NFL seasons pre-retirement. Alonso’s contract extension will allow him to overtake that record in 2026.

More than these numbers, it is his timeless performance on track with Aston Martin that has caught everybody off guard. The 42-year-old is consistently outperforming his 25-year-old teammate Lance Stroll. Moreover, his supreme race craft threatens rivals in faster cars to fear his sight in their mirrors. Zak Brown, who was Alonso’s boss at McLaren years ago, has commended his longevity while being at the top of his game.

“I don’t think it’s easy, but you see in other sports that it only happens with legends,” Brown said on Justin Bell’s podcast, as quoted by Soymotor. “They have a work ethic that is second to none, (and) great concentration. Fernando is awesome. He’s not slowing down at all. His running is amazing and I know him well, he doesn’t care about anything but running.”

“Maybe some of these guys, a little older, start to lose their way because they focus on other things that go beyond racing,” he added. “Fernando only thinks about racing and I think he’s all the Tom Brady of this world, the Scott Dixon. They can challenge what he does all the way and his talent allows them to go further in their career than many others. It’s not going to work for everyone, yes for Fernando, I’d let him drive our cars any day.”

Brown’s Alonso-Brady parallel perfectly expresses the sentiment shared by most F1 fans and stakeholders. McLaren driver, Lando Norris, also believes that F1 may never witness any driver match Alonso’s fitness and commitment at that age.

Lando Norris declares Fernando Alonso as the last of the “oldest” champions

Fernando Alonso is a class apart. The Spaniard is consistently earning points at every race by dragging his not-so-fast AMR24 into the Top 10. Though he isn’t able to secure podium finishes like in 2023, his overtaking and defense are enthralling fans. Lando Norris, who looks up to Alonso, has said how the 2-time champ’s longevity could be one for the ages.

“He’s probably one of the oldest guys competing at the top of any sport in the world and I think to be able to do that at the level that he has done and continues to do, you’re probably never going to potentially see it again, within Formula 1. And if you do, it’s going be extremely rare,” Norris said, as quoted by Autosport.

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Though 2024 will not be a championship-contending season for Alonso, the 2026 rules reset brings promise. Aston Martin’s new $220 Million factory is up and running, and Billionaire Boss Lawrence Stroll is attempting to sign Technical mastermind Adrian Newey. Alonso could just prove to be an unexpected championship contender then. What is your prediction for his much-awaited 33rd F1 win and the potential 3rd championship?