Formula 1 CEO Stefano Domenicali has said that the championship will absorb a Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso retirement despite them both being ‘very important assets’.
The F1 chief was asked whether the series faces a potentially fateful season, with a regulation overhaul that several drivers have already questioned and the possible retirements of two of its biggest stars on the horizon.
Hamilton, 41 years of age and heading into his second season with Ferrari, comes off the back of a challenging 2025. And Alonso, aged 44, making him the oldest on the grid, has started his season with disappointment after a difficult period of testing for Aston Martin. Their futures on the grid have been under intense speculation.
“Well, of course, if you’re talking about Lewis and Fernando, they are giants of our sport, they are very big protagonists,” Domenicali explained. “Of course, they have both different challenges and opportunities. But to believe that they can stop this year?
“Maybe, I have some doubts because they are fighters and they have proven that if they have a good mix of car and team they will definitely fight for a longer time.
“I don’t see them retiring to be very open with you. I hope that I’m right, because they are a very important asset for Formula 1. But F1 has been always exciting in any case.
Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin Racing
Photo by: Sam Bagnall / Sutton Images via Getty Images
“You see, when we brought in five new guys, they were extremely important for the younger generation they were followed by the teenagers in a way that is interesting to see how the audience of our sport is shifting. Therefore I, first of all, I don’t see them retiring.
“Secondly, I hope that they will not retire and eventually if this will happen, which I don’t believe so, I think that the new generation of drivers will capture the attention in a faster way because the way of connecting today is different.”
With the Australian Grand Prix coming next, following a few grumbles from the paddock during testing, how these regulations fare during race conditions will likely be a question both the Ferrari and Aston Martin aces are asking.
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