Steiner warns F1 talent “durability” will expire earlier

Haas team boss Günther Steiner has warned that younger and younger F1 newcomers impair the “durability” of the current stars of the sport.

When table leader Max Verstappen made his debut in 2015, the Dutchman was just 17 years and 166 days old.

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This is a record that is unbroken, but despite the fact that the grid has three drivers over 35 years of age [Lewis Hamilton, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso], there are 11 drivers aged 25 or younger including both rookie Haas drivers.

“You start karting at a very young age and that will last,” said Steiner. “At a young age your reflexes are better, your motivation is higher and I think it’s good for sport when young people come along.

“It’s not against older people, so don’t be mad at me about it, but we all have a shelf life. I think the shelf life stays the same, it just starts younger and ends younger now.”

AlphaTauri rookie Yuki Tsunoda is the youngest rider on the grid at 21, but from the current line-up, four riders made their debut as teenagers – Verstappen, Lando Norris, Lance Stroll and now 39-year-old Alonso.

Steiner added: “The drivers are getting younger these days anyway, not just now, but probably in the last few years the drivers have entered Formula 1 younger than they used to be. It’s a trend.

“Of course they get older faster – or they get younger, I would say.”