"It can’t be the aim of Formula 1 to get older and older": Fernando Alonso's age a cause of concern for F1 pundit

Former F1 driver turned pundit Ralf Schumacher mentioned Fernando Alonso's age while voicing his concerns over the low influx of younger drivers into F1.

Speaking to Speedcafe, Schumacher stated that the 42-year-old is still driving in F1 instead of newer drivers. Though the F1 pundit clarified that he is not against the Spanish driver, he opined that the goal of the sport should be to move forward and bring in the younger generation.

“And the now 42-year-old Alonso is driving instead. Nothing against Alonso – but it cannot be the aim of Formula 1 to get older and older," Schumacher said.

Before speaking about Fernando Alonso, Ralf Schumacher praised Ferrari junior Oliver Bearman for his performance at the 2024 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. The youngster replaced Carlos Sainz for FP3, qualifying, and the main race since the latter was diagnosed with appendicitis.

The F1 pundit also felt that Bearman's performance could encourage teams to test their junior drivers more often.

“It was really important for someone [Oliver Bearman] to come in, be thrown in and achieve a good result. Every team was almost afraid to take on new drivers. Hopefully, it will lead to new drivers coming in again,” he added.

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Fernando Alonso speaks on his future in F1

Before the start of the 2024 F1 season, Fernando Alonso spoke about deciding whether to retire or continue racing. Speaking in the press conference before the 2024 F1 Bahrain GP, the Aston Martin driver stated that he needs to decide his future in the coming weeks and races.

"First of all I need to decide if I want to keep racing - that will be the first thing I need to decide in a few weeks or a few races time," Alonso said (via Sky Sports).

The 42-year-old added that though he believes he is up for an action-packed season ahead, the cramped race calendar could take a toll on him. Furthermore, he mentioned how the 2026 regulation change could also play a factor in his departure.

"I feel great now but I know it's a demanding calendar and in 2026, there are a different set of regulations as well, which may be tempting or maybe not, I don't know. But yeah, let's see. As I said at the car launch, I will wait a few races to decide," he added.

Fernando Alonso is the oldest driver on the current grid. He has been racing in the sport since 2001, back when a few younger F1 drivers were not even born.