I have seen some people worried about Charles career due to his age and his desire to see things through with Ferrari. While I can't shed much light on the Ferrari situation and view his determination with a modicum of dread myself, I can talk a little about how age works in F1.+
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Age in F1 as a motorsport works different than in football or tennis which are very physically demanding sports. Not that F1 isn't but in a vastly different way. Where in football or tennis it's about physical output, in F1 it is about physical endurance. +
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Physical endurance is not quite as strongly impacted by age as physical output is. It can actually be sustained well into the late 40s if necessary. As long as the training and the nutrition match the requirements of course. +
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The problem is more about mental decline or psychological exhaustion. Burnout rates peak drastically on the 18-34 year braket and as we know F1 is not exactly the most forgiving sport known for coddling their drivers. They are more likely to have to take the blame than not. +

Sep 21, 2026 · 6:03 PM UTC

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I'm not saying that they will maintain their peak until their late 40s, don't misunderstand me here. But given the tools they can maintain a level close to their peak. Unfortunately, in F1 we have a very small sample size of drivers in their late 30s not to mention late 40s. +
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This is mainly because drivers who are not exceptional like Alonso or Hamilton will get exchanged before they can reach that age and a small sample is not ideal to really conduct a study on it. But broader studies in real life and other sports support that as long as they can +
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hold out mentally, the physical decline is very manageable and if they survive the burnout phase, studies have shown that athletes get more mentally enduring the older they get. Provided they don't get dropped for someone better. Youth is great but it's not quite the factor it +
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is in other sports. It will be more noticeable in qualifying than the actual race where points are scored. Also don't forget the biggest limitation is the machinery. I wish for Charles to win a WDC yesterday of course but don't +
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fall for the illusion that F1 is like any other sport outside of other motorsport categories. He still has time. As do others by the way. Norris and Max also still have a long career if they wish so.
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