It’s Lewis Hamilton’s birthday and the seven-time world champion will turn 37 on January 7th, but what are the other F1 drivers’ birthdays? Who are the oldest and youngest drivers in the 2021 starting field?
103 Grand Prix wins, 103 pole positions, 182 podiums and 4,165.5 points – at the time of writing.
Lewis Hamilton has single-handedly rewritten the Formula 1 record books, especially since joining Mercedes in 2013.
During this time and under completely different circumstances, he only failed to win the world title three times – in 2013, 2016 and 2021.
Hamilton, who went down after the controversial end of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, is the first active F1 driver of the year to celebrate his birthday.
But when do the other F1 drivers celebrate their birthday? Who is unique among the 2022 drivers?
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World Champion F1 drivers’ birthdays revealed
Four F1 world champions will compete in the 2022 starting grid.
This is the same number as it was in 2021, though one has since retired and the 34th has joined the ranks.
Kimi Raikkonen said goodbye to Formula 1 as the last driver born in the 1970s to compete in the series at Yas Marina.
Max Verstappen became Red Bull’s second world champion after overtaking Hamilton on the final lap.
The four-time Sebastian Vettel joins the seven and one-time masters.
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Vettel is the youngest world champion in F1 history, at just 23 years and 134 days old when he won in 2010.
The old archenemy Fernando Alonso completes the world champion in the starting line-up in 2022.
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He is the oldest driver on the starting grid after Raikkonen and will be 41 years old in July.
Birthdays of the F1 world champion drivers:
- Fernando Alonso – July 29, 1981
- Lewis Hamilton – January 7, 1985
- Sebastian Vettel – July 3, 1987
- Max Verstappen – September 30, 1997
Although he’s long retired, it’s interesting to note that the two most successful F1 drivers ever celebrate their birthdays in the first week of the year.
Michael Schumacher, Hamilton’s seven-time champion, was born in Germany on January 3, 1969.
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The F1 drivers who have the race winners’ birthdays
In addition to the four world champions, there are another six Grand Prix winners in the 2022 starting field.
Of the six, only Valtteri Bottas will change teams when he lands at Alfa Romeo to replace Raikkonen.
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With 10 wins, the Finn is also the most successful non-world champion on the 2022 grid.
- Daniel Ricciardo – July 1, 1989
- Valtteri Bottas – August 28, 1989
- Sergio Perez – January 26, 1990
- Pierre Gasly – February 7, 1996
- Esteban Ocon – September 17, 1996
- Charles Leclerc – October 16, 1997
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The non-race winners
Of the 10 drivers who will not win a Grand Prix before the start of the 2022 season, Carlos Sainz Jr. is the oldest.
He started 140 times from Abu Dhabi in 2021, with a best result of second place.
He and Nicholas Latifi are significantly older than the rest of the field, which has not yet won.
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This next generation was all born in the last few years of the 20th century.
In fact, there is one who made Formula 1 history with his debut in 2021.
- Carlos Sainz Jr. – September 1, 1994
- Nicholas Latifi – June 29, 1995
- Alexander Albon – March 23, 1996
- George Russell – February 15, 1998
- Lance Stroll – October 29, 1998
The only rookie on the 2022 grid, alongside Bottas, is Guanyu Zhou at Alfa.
The GP2 / F2 veteran will become China’s first full-time Grand Prix driver at the 2022 Bahrain Grand Prix.
- Nikita Mazepin – March 2, 1999
- Mick Schumacher – March 22, 1999
- Guanyu Zhou – May 30, 1999
- Lando Norris – November 13, 1999
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The historian
Yuki Tsuonda was born on May 11, 2000 and holds an F1 record.
He is the first Formula 1 driver to celebrate his birthday in the 21st century.
Due to the fact that the World Championship began in 1950, only a handful of drivers were born in the 19th century.
The vast majority of the 700+ F1 drivers who competed were born at the age of 19.
Tsuonda goes into the record books, even if it won’t be long before someone else joins them …
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