Formula 1 drivers usually reach their peak performances around their late 20s and early 30s, but what is it that slows one down?
If history is anything to go by, the first thing to go is their qualifying pace, which is effectively what happened to Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Raikkonen towards the end of their careers.
As drivers get older they also tend to start families, with Kevin Magnussen, Nico Hulkenberg, and Sergio Perez all among those who have kids on the 2024 grid.
Max Verstappen will add himself to the list next year, after announcing his partner Kelly Piquet is expecting their first child on Instagram after Abu Dhabi.
Discussing the impact that having kids has on a driver, Lewis Hamilton explained whether he thinks having kids can impact a driver’s speed in an episode of Beyond the Grid.
Lewis Hamilton believes having kids does not slow down drivers
While children can often end up following their fathers into motorsport, as has happened with Carlos Sainz and Verstappen, they also show signs of maturity in a driver.
Romain Grosjean said that having kids helped change his outlook on life (via F1.com), after suffering several crashes during his rookie years in F1. When asked whether kids slow down drivers, Hamilton believes that it leads to a less hectic lifestyle but offered a different viewpoint when it comes to driving.
“Definitely. They’re like bloody anchors, aren’t they? They’re parachutes. In terms of driving, I think that’s impossible for me to say, I currently believe not but naturally in getting older, you notice things,” said Hamilton.
“I’m still just as daring as I was before but I think twice now. When I was a kid I never really thought about ‘What happens if you break your leg and can’t race? I didn’t really think about those things.”
Max Verstappen ranked as top driver in 2024
Even though Verstappen took the Drivers’ Championship in 2024, he did not have the fastest car throughout the season.
Norris was the most improved driver having taken four wins this season, including dominating the Singapore Grand Prix, while it was Charles Leclerc who had the most podiums since the summer break at seven.
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No other driver scored more than five podiums in the second half of 2024, with Norris equalling Verstappen in this stat.
Ranking his best drivers of the season, Karun Chandhok ranked Verstappen the highest in his top 10 with Leclerc second and Norris third.
