I think this could be his final year in F1. If aston doesn’t improve I think he wil leave as he wants to be in contention for his 3th championship titel and not stubble around in the midfield
Honestly, Fernando is such a wildcard that I can't predict when he would retire, but I think Max and Lewis might joint-retire after the 2027 season. Lewis will want to stay for the 2026 reg change to see if Merc gets it right and can get his 8th. If not, he'll probably be done. Max will probably leave when his contract is up, and the only way I see him staying is if he has a chance to get an 8th as well. If he wins every championship from 2024 to 2027, that will put him at 7. I think if they get to that point, Red Bull and Max might agree on at least a one year extension to go for the record.
@@LawVS I hope they can bend there teams to do it in season. Can you imagine them winning Le Mans AND Max a title the same year. That would be madness and even when he would retire from F1 before hitting number 7... he would be remembered as the GOAT. Can you imagine the interest of that Le Mans race, that would be insane... Maybe they can drive the valkery ;) Owned by AM and designed by Newey....
RB’d never endanger their commercial relationship w/Max by suing for BOC. They’d just partner with him in his sim racing, WEC racing + anything else he wanted to do. He’s a huge brand even w/out F1.
Definitely not. Christian is smarter than that. He will be fully aware Max could walk and not stand in his way. All Red Bull drivers who retire are with them forever, like DC.
Another cool stat is that Alonso is the only driver to be mentioned in both the F1 hall of fame and WEC hall of fame. He has spread his influence to every aspect of motorsport, too. When he retires, I wouldn't really feel bad because, as you said, he already will have done what he had to do. And I also wouldn't feel bad because I know he will be competing in other categories such as Rally (as he said just recently), Indycar, GT, WEC, or whatever else.
These guys are not only the biggest 3, but the best 3. The majority of level headed and unbias f1 fans would agree that these guys are just a cut above the rest of the grid currently.
I think these 3 are the best drivers of the past 20 years including Schumacher!!! I can’t even include Vettel, Kimi, Rosberg in the same list with them!!!
I think if Lewis scores his 8th title he is GONE.... Fernando is an unknown. I see him as one of the Iron Man athletes. He could conceivably race well into his 50s. I don't believe he will still be in F1, but he will drive until he no longer feels he can compete. Max is different. I see him gone in 28. off to do the things he wants to do.
Fangio won his last championship at 46. He won with Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati. He didn’t even start racing in Europe until age 38!. He destroyed rich kids half his age. I’ve heard people say it was easier back then. Nonsense. It’s never been easy to win at the top level of anything, especially racing. Just because Max is making it look easy doesn’t mean it is. Could Alonso win at 46?. Very possible I say.
Fun fact :1958 Juan Manuel Fangio arrived at Indy under much fanfare as he attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 and score points towards the World Championship. He practiced early in the month, but withdrew when he could not get up to speed.1987,Unser holds the record of being the oldest driver to ever win the 500 at 47 years old.
It's very true. I think we have had five world champions currently driving, twice. But when one goes, you notice the difference the following season. Takes a while to normalise the loss. So these three giants best hang around, until there's a new one to add to the champions line.
I think Fernando's retirement date depends on the form of Aston Martin. If they drop in form, say behind Alpine, then I think he'd retire pretty quickly. However, the more promise they show then the more patient he'll be. Max will probably retire at the end of '28 unless he JUST misses out on one title and then feels the need to retaliate. I feel Lewis is the hardest to judge because I'm still so shocked he extended for two years already, he seemed so down before that extension that I was 80% convinced '23 was his last season.
Your idea to talk about formula One, teams and drivers on a ladder at the rooftop is really unique. Every time you come up, I am excited to listen to you. Big probs to you
I seriously cannot imagine continuing to watch without the two geezers. Fitness isn’t the issue for longevity. It’s reaction time. I think Alonso could get another drive if another team became super competitive and wanted to maximize their results for the next season (as long as he’s still performing at the same level at that time).
I think Max will see through his contract (through 2028, not until, as some comments I've seen think) mostly because he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to start some contract drama. Max is pretty no-nonsense, so I don't see him doing something like trying to duck out of contract unless he REALLY hates the new car, which I doubt will happen. I wouldn't be surprised if RB start treating him like they do Newey, giving him side projects (ie funding/partnering a Le Mans run, Daytona 24h (or even 500), etc) just to keep him happy in the same way they let Newey go design the Valkyrie and now the RB17
I think it's quite realistic that we could see a season with zero prior champions on the grid. no matter who wins the title, it will be a new winner. i do not know if that his happened before much since the start of the sport but it would be very exciting.
@@LawVS what about this, 2024 and 2025 Max wins his 4th and 5th title. (Because, well this generation kinda belongs to RB already and in that RB, no ones going to defeat Max. But what if after the requlation changes, RB still has the superior car. Cause I think, in that case Hamilton will either quit or look for a different team, but I think he will quit if in 2026 he still isn't at least close to RB. I imagine Alonso allso quitting around this time. Now if with the new regulations RB is the best car. Max Verstappen could win his 6th, 7th and 8th Championship titles and then his contract runs out. I think if this happens, he will leave F1 at that moment as the record Champion with 8 titles in a row and leaving the entire world to forever wonder "What if he didn't quit, how many could he have gotten?" And then 2029 will be the season with no champions on the grid. P.S., can't believe I've never seen this before but, do you happen to have a twin brother that is really into Dragonball? xD
Max is same age as me. If I had been in his shoes I'd only race until 30. There are so many things to do in life after you've achieved so much success so early. If he won all the four years till then, he'll have 7 championships. But he genuinely doesn't seem to want that record specifically.
I'm so so so curious what Mercedes is going to do with Kimi coming up. Between these three teams, I think they'll be the first ones to have to make a hard decision, especially if Williams is prioritizing their academy
I think it depends how willing James Vowles is to aid Toto. If Kimi romps to victory on the first bounce, I reckon Williams will get first dibs for 2025.
13:09 If Mercedes were pushed Lewis out, he might be considering Ferrari or even re-uniting with Fernando at Aston 👀If 2026 Aston could be a title chalenger 😅
I never thought before of Lewis, Alonso and Max as the "Big Three" of F1 (As I'm a Tennis fan, for me the "Big Three" is in definition Djokovic-Nadal-Federer), but once you think of it there's no doubt. As for when they will retire, I have it clear that none of them will leave before the 2026 cars. From there, though it isn't very clear, I think it will be similar to what you've said.
I think these 3 are the best drivers of the past 20 years including Schumacher!!! I can’t even include Vettel, Kimi, Rosberg in the same list with them!!!
Max has often said to the Dutch media that he’ll continue to drive as long as he’s winning no matter what, so if 2028 comes around and he’s still winning expect him to be there
I hope alonso never retires... I went into existential crisis when he left F1 the last time! I hope he is going to be TP or something when he stops as a driver...
I can’t help but think that with all the contracts expiring this year, there will be so many new drivers that the contract $$& will be a lot less for the grid than what it is now. So drivers on the chopping block better be careful.
I doubt it. Teams have been quite conservative in their driver selection these last few years, and I see no reason why ragt would change with another big regulation change incoming. Sure, we might have some drivers switching teams, but I think most will be retained and only a handful lose their drive.
With Indycar being a social media fire with worries of Honda leaving. Alonso going for the triple crown again would certainly be nice, since Indycar’s future is unpredictable right now.
interesting watching you talk about Lewis at Mercedes a month later after its been announced he's going to Ferrari. Guess he got tired of them, not the other way round
Leclerc has never bottled a championship,infact he has only cost himself 36 points in his only season of a slight championship battle so its not bottling
I think its actually all because of Max. Lewis is still around because of Max. Max has also secured firmly the RB leader role much faster and potentially longer than ever. Both outcome of Max is just creating a backlog of younger drivers waiting to take over the Merc or RB seat. The traffic jam of driver movements is causing the grid to accumulate in overall experience and thus make team-to-team difference down to the wire. In this environment, no team will want to risk to take an untested driver and will chose experience over talent. What happened to De Vries is the result of this experience heavy grid today. Thus why Alonso and even maybe Checo have a lifeline to stay on the grid for now.
Definitely. Max is making both Fernando and Lewis hungry and that is crucial for any driver regardless of age. If you have a goal strong enough to keep you going, you can achieve great things.
I would say Alonso and Hamilton will retire after '25 but I think Verstappen will not retire, but move on to other racing series after either '27 or '28 with him retiring in the 2030s.
Do you think that the reason we are seeing 3 drivers with as much success as these 3 is due to the technological era we're in? Or legit skill? Maybe both? And if it is a trend outside just the driver's skill do you think we will slowly see the best of the best sifting to the top so we end up with a grid of Max/Lewis quality drivers? There certainly look like there could be a couple more on the grid at the moment that could reach that level and a few others waiting in the wings.
Ferenando has a bottomless hunger, Max is old school I can half ways imagine him making his own racing series maybe Formula E except more brutal. Hamilton just wants an 8th wdc.
Sir Lewis? When he finally realizes that his days are over and there will be no 8th title. Fernando? When people are no longer willing to pay him for his services. Max? When Adrian Newey retires.
I would have said to exclude Max from this discussion, but he has voiced his displeasure with the length of the season and some of the changes F1 has made, like sprints, he probably won't be around beyond the end of his 2028 contract.
I can see Max staying in the sport for over 2028 to break even more records, otherwise I would watch for Piastri since he's got potential to become a F1 champion to.
I don't see him being overly invested in records to seek specifically. He just wants to race and enjoy himself. Once he stops doing so he will go somewhere else.
imagine if we see something similiar with max in lemans like with bruce mclaren in f1, starting his own team and creating one of the most famous car brands that is widely connected with motorsport.... bruh its year 2050 and my neighbor is driving a verstappen branded car XD
My opinion is fairly straightforward on this. Alonso will retire not because of age but because he won’t get the results he wants, and at Aston Martin he has a chance but not as much if he had a Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren or Mercedes. Alonso definitely still has unfinished business but a title tilt for him is out of reach. Win a race and he might go to WEC again and say “life is good here.” Hamilton will retire not because of age but because he won’t get the results he wants, and if he doesn’t get the car he wants to match his aspirations then this is likely to happen with the current inner negativity he has been showing. What he does after F1 though feels a mystery. Verstappen will retire because he’s after a new challenge in life. He’s winning and winning and already seems a bit fed up of it all. I don’t blame him IRO 2023 - it was all too easy. Give him a challenge, engage his interest and he will stay. Otherwise he can go. He’ll go wherever the engagement takes him, and signs suggest sportscars in some way.
I think Alonso and Hamilton retiring won’t change much no matter how big and influential they are it’s to be expected that a 40+yo driver will retire. This happened a few times already Schumacher, Vettel and Alonso already retired. But Verstappen, if your rules changes are so bad that the most dominant driver of the current era quit F1 at his peak to do other motorsport. This could change F1 rules going forward and the perception of fans towards the FIA
I think Max will continue to dominate until the new regulations & the 3 will become more like Dani Ric - the potential was there but the timing wasn’t right. The next big 3 might be drivers that just debuted/ have yet to debut in F1 (Piastri, Antonelli)
@Surfsaus George I agree, but Lando isn't overrated. Most people think he's a title contending talent, but is mistake prone.. which is properly rated if you ask me
interestingly, this video has aged a bit well in some of it's predictions. It appears like Hamilton feels like he was pushed out (to a degree), he may not say it that way but it certainly seems like the Merc execs were getting cold feel with him and essentially kept shoe-stringing him a long... it's like your boss just giving you a 0.5% pay-rise each year... yeah, they will give you something but it's nowhere near sustainable and that is the point.
I dont see this happening but what if Max and Alonso were to convince Lewis to drive endurance with them and they all retired together? It aint happening but it was a thought
Only reason I see Alonso retiring from F1 is if he gets a solid chance at winning the indy 500 race which would make him the only other triple crown winner along Graham Hill. For now he'll just be in AM maybe until 2025 or 2026. But you bet he's trying that indy 500 win again.
I think we're going to see Lewis and Fernando pull out in 2025, I don't think the differences between the cars are enough to make it make sense. I think Max is going to get a fourth title in '24, maybe '25, and then take off. Basically, I think in 2025 we're going to see the Big 3 take off for greener pastures. I doubt Lewis is going to bother with other categories. Fernando is going to go do other stuff for giggles. Verstappen is gonna go BRB and win Lemans for shits and giggles.
I CAN see Fernando retiring in 2025 if Aston fall off HARD, but I doubt Lewis would walk away just yet. Considering he extended twice when it looks odds on he'd retire, he's basically gonna stay forever. As for Max, he's made it clear. If he is no longer having fun, he will go.
Why do people think number of titles is the only measure of “Greatest of all time”, surely car performance is relative? Let’s just take some hypothetical examples: Driver A: has the fastest car 20 times and wins 5 titles. Driver B: never has the fastest car, wins 4 titles. You’re telling me driver A is greater? 🤨 People oversimplify the hell out of that argument. 😂
Once Verstappen leaves F1, I think he will go to WEC, compete and win Le Mans, and maybe if he does win Le Mans he might attempt The INDY 500 and going for the triple crown.
Not sure about Hamilton or Alonso but I think Max is going to quit F1 after he's current contract with F1 in 2028 not because of age but he probably wants to do something else like wec/imsa or maybe even indy. He hasn't been exactly happy with the direction what F1 had been taking
I think Max will retire when his contract is done in ‘28. Doing other things. F1 going places he doesn’t like and he has reached his championship goal. I don’t think Fernando and Lewis will be around that time either. For Lewis the car he gets will decide I think when Merc can’t get a championship winning car he won’t be around in 2026. Tbh same with Fernando. Fernando and Max will go do LeMans. Would be great to watch that.
@@LawVS debatable, a grouping like big 3 has to be fitting to the crossing of careers, ie the big 4 in tennis, federer nadal djokovic and murray. Sure theyre arguably the best 3 right now but one could argue norris is now on alonsos level, i dno the grouping just doesnt fit for me, it’s different generations
That Kyalami talk is just for PR. Once Lewis gets his 8th or lose hope on achieving it, he’ll leave. So, 2026 is key. Alonso might retire if Aston Martin going backwards. Again, 2026 is the yardstick. As for Max, he’ll see out his contract until 2028. If Red Bull did well in the new regs, he MIGHT stay.
Sim racing in the off season? If only, sim racing as soon as he is done with f1 for the day. He is known to be sim racing an hour after winning a race 😂
I predict Fernando and Lewis will retire in 2027 if Mercedes and Aston Martin don't get the 2026 regulation changes right, Max might leave in 2028 after his contract is up.
Max will retire when he's bored and ready for WEC, I think. Lewis may not go unless Mercedes shows themselves to be a sinking ship (always too bullish, not enough consistency in cars lately.) Just my opinion. When it comes to Alonso retiring.... I dont need that kind of negativity in my life. 😅😅
Max at 33, Hamilton at 44 and Alonso at 69
Noice (in Spanish)
I honestly wouldn't be surprised if Alonso was still in F1 after both Lewis and Max have retired
That's valid, but I reckon Alonso will know when he's had enough.
I think this could be his final year in F1. If aston doesn’t improve I think he wil leave as he wants to be in contention for his 3th championship titel and not stubble around in the midfield
@@T_v_W2I would rather he try and steal Perez's seat for a season or two than quit outright if Aston becomes Asston.
I agree, cause he's still in his rookie season
Ah yes he will go down as Alonso the Ethernal
Honestly, Fernando is such a wildcard that I can't predict when he would retire, but I think Max and Lewis might joint-retire after the 2027 season. Lewis will want to stay for the 2026 reg change to see if Merc gets it right and can get his 8th. If not, he'll probably be done. Max will probably leave when his contract is up, and the only way I see him staying is if he has a chance to get an 8th as well. If he wins every championship from 2024 to 2027, that will put him at 7. I think if they get to that point, Red Bull and Max might agree on at least a one year extension to go for the record.
That seems fair. But I bet Fernando and Max will retire close together so they can go and play GT cars together. It's sweet.
@@LawVS I wouldn't be surprised if they teamed up for a WEC team.
@@winnerloser Alonso, 8 time (WEC) champion of the world!
@@LawVS LH is intiteld even in his 80's he won't let the championship slide.
@@LawVS I hope they can bend there teams to do it in season. Can you imagine them winning Le Mans AND Max a title the same year. That would be madness and even when he would retire from F1 before hitting number 7... he would be remembered as the GOAT. Can you imagine the interest of that Le Mans race, that would be insane... Maybe they can drive the valkery ;) Owned by AM and designed by Newey....
RB’d never endanger their commercial relationship w/Max by suing for BOC. They’d just partner with him in his sim racing, WEC racing + anything else he wanted to do. He’s a huge brand even w/out F1.
Definitely not. Christian is smarter than that. He will be fully aware Max could walk and not stand in his way. All Red Bull drivers who retire are with them forever, like DC.
@@LawVS Once RedBull ALWAYS RedBull !!
Another cool stat is that Alonso is the only driver to be mentioned in both the F1 hall of fame and WEC hall of fame. He has spread his influence to every aspect of motorsport, too. When he retires, I wouldn't really feel bad because, as you said, he already will have done what he had to do. And I also wouldn't feel bad because I know he will be competing in other categories such as Rally (as he said just recently), Indycar, GT, WEC, or whatever else.
Definitely. Fernando is one of the most versatile drivers on the planet. Max probably will be the same.
These guys are not only the biggest 3, but the best 3. The majority of level headed and unbias f1 fans would agree that these guys are just a cut above the rest of the grid currently.
They've got that extra pizazz the others don't. Fernando being such a memelord was so refreshing.
I think these 3 are the best drivers of the past 20 years including Schumacher!!! I can’t even include Vettel, Kimi, Rosberg in the same list with them!!!
All I want is another Alonso win before he retires! I just hope that Aston could provide him with the car to do so.
I think that's doable and he will know that.
Glad to see im not the only one who sees these guys as the "Big Three" of this current age of F1
I think if Lewis scores his 8th title he is GONE.... Fernando is an unknown. I see him as one of the Iron Man athletes. He could conceivably race well into his 50s. I don't believe he will still be in F1, but he will drive until he no longer feels he can compete. Max is different. I see him gone in 28. off to do the things he wants to do.
Definitely. That's Lewis' goal. He probably would've retired in 2021 if things went differently.
But what if He doesnt?
"F1 didn't change all that much between 2018 and 2021"
Michael Masi: "Forgetting someone?"
I'm talking about the core rules and how to manage tyres or parts etc
Fangio won his last championship at 46. He won with Alfa Romeo, Mercedes, Ferrari and Maserati. He didn’t even start racing in Europe until age 38!. He destroyed rich kids half his age. I’ve heard people say it was easier back then. Nonsense. It’s never been easy to win at the top level of anything, especially racing. Just because Max is making it look easy doesn’t mean it is. Could Alonso win at 46?. Very possible I say.
Of course. Hence why I had a qualifier of it being rare in the modern age.
Fun fact :1958 Juan Manuel Fangio arrived at Indy under much fanfare as he attempted to qualify for the Indy 500 and score points towards the World Championship. He practiced early in the month, but withdrew when he could not get up to speed.1987,Unser holds the record of being the oldest driver to ever win the 500 at 47 years old.
It's very true. I think we have had five world champions currently driving, twice. But when one goes, you notice the difference the following season. Takes a while to normalise the loss. So these three giants best hang around, until there's a new one to add to the champions line.
Very true. If they all left then the calibre of driver would drop considerably.
I think Fernando's retirement date depends on the form of Aston Martin. If they drop in form, say behind Alpine, then I think he'd retire pretty quickly. However, the more promise they show then the more patient he'll be. Max will probably retire at the end of '28 unless he JUST misses out on one title and then feels the need to retaliate. I feel Lewis is the hardest to judge because I'm still so shocked he extended for two years already, he seemed so down before that extension that I was 80% convinced '23 was his last season.
Yep. If 2025 sees Aston fall off badly with no explanation, he will walk.
Your idea to talk about formula One, teams and drivers on a ladder at the rooftop is really unique. Every time you come up, I am excited to listen to you.
Big probs to you
Thank you, pal! I shall.
I seriously cannot imagine continuing to watch without the two geezers. Fitness isn’t the issue for longevity. It’s reaction time. I think Alonso could get another drive if another team became super competitive and wanted to maximize their results for the next season (as long as he’s still performing at the same level at that time).
True and these guys have got it.
I think Fernando will only retire when Mika ends his sabbatical 🫡
We could actually go for big 4 with vettel, he is not on the grid but surely is one of the stars of this decade
True. He would be there if he were around still.
“It’s about drive , it’s about power , we stay baking for an hour “-LawVS😂
I think Max will see through his contract (through 2028, not until, as some comments I've seen think) mostly because he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to start some contract drama. Max is pretty no-nonsense, so I don't see him doing something like trying to duck out of contract unless he REALLY hates the new car, which I doubt will happen. I wouldn't be surprised if RB start treating him like they do Newey, giving him side projects (ie funding/partnering a Le Mans run, Daytona 24h (or even 500), etc) just to keep him happy in the same way they let Newey go design the Valkyrie and now the RB17
Yeah. He signed that mega contract to throw the idea of contracts away for a long time and instead focus on racing.
I think it's quite realistic that we could see a season with zero prior champions on the grid. no matter who wins the title, it will be a new winner. i do not know if that his happened before much since the start of the sport but it would be very exciting.
2027 possibly.
1994. kinda?
@@LawVS what about this, 2024 and 2025 Max wins his 4th and 5th title. (Because, well this generation kinda belongs to RB already and in that RB, no ones going to defeat Max.
But what if after the requlation changes, RB still has the superior car. Cause I think, in that case Hamilton will either quit or look for a different team, but I think he will quit if in 2026 he still isn't at least close to RB. I imagine Alonso allso quitting around this time.
Now if with the new regulations RB is the best car. Max Verstappen could win his 6th, 7th and 8th Championship titles and then his contract runs out. I think if this happens, he will leave F1 at that moment as the record Champion with 8 titles in a row and leaving the entire world to forever wonder "What if he didn't quit, how many could he have gotten?"
And then 2029 will be the season with no champions on the grid.
P.S., can't believe I've never seen this before but, do you happen to have a twin brother that is really into Dragonball? xD
Max is same age as me. If I had been in his shoes I'd only race until 30. There are so many things to do in life after you've achieved so much success so early. If he won all the four years till then, he'll have 7 championships. But he genuinely doesn't seem to want that record specifically.
Indeed. He will want to do other things while he's at his peak.
I'm so so so curious what Mercedes is going to do with Kimi coming up. Between these three teams, I think they'll be the first ones to have to make a hard decision, especially if Williams is prioritizing their academy
I think it depends how willing James Vowles is to aid Toto. If Kimi romps to victory on the first bounce, I reckon Williams will get first dibs for 2025.
They will Retire on LawVS recommendation
I love your videos! Keep the great work up 😁
Cool analysis dude. I liked the information you provided in this video.
Remember, just two seasons ago, in 2021, we had Max, Lewis, Fernando, Seb AND Kimi on the grid at the same time
I know. Seems like forever.
2:18 bring back that rainbow I miss my pink and purple tires!
It was so colourful!
@@LawVS the Pink force India with the pink tires was just *fabulous*
I look forward to your insights every day. Be blessed. Javier from Los Angeles
Thank you!
Alonso - 2026
Lewis - 2027 (if merc gets worse, 2025)
Max - 2032 (or when he gets 8 titles)
Seems fair. So long as the car is to Max's tasted and he feels it worth staying in F1.
13:09 If Mercedes were pushed Lewis out, he might be considering Ferrari or even re-uniting with Fernando at Aston 👀If 2026 Aston could be a title chalenger 😅
Maybe but he'd be leaving on his own terms. Otherwise Mercedes would be eviscerated on social media.
@@LawVS Not just SocialMedia but Mainstream Media which would have a far more damaging effect reputationally for the brand in general.
Either way, any major driver has wrote a part of F1 history and it is important to respect their achivement.
Of course. Daniel Ricciardo has done so as well, as has Nico Hulkenberg to some extent.
a collab between you and pers would be dope, ngl!
Perhaps but the time zones would make it tricky,
I never thought before of Lewis, Alonso and Max as the "Big Three" of F1 (As I'm a Tennis fan, for me the "Big Three" is in definition Djokovic-Nadal-Federer), but once you think of it there's no doubt.
As for when they will retire, I have it clear that none of them will leave before the 2026 cars. From there, though it isn't very clear, I think it will be similar to what you've said.
True. I reckon they will test out the new machinery for at least one year...or in the case of Max he will walk if he hates it.
I think these 3 are the best drivers of the past 20 years including Schumacher!!! I can’t even include Vettel, Kimi, Rosberg in the same list with them!!!
Max has often said to the Dutch media that he’ll continue to drive as long as he’s winning no matter what, so if 2028 comes around and he’s still winning expect him to be there
I think it's too early to say but if he keeps on winning into 2028, he will probably want a new challenge...and go win some more there.
What do you think about the Buddh International Circuit (The Indian GP).... Do you think it should come back to the calendar instead of 3 races in US
I do plan to discuss it in another video as well as other Indian circuits.
Didnt realize how old this video was until he said “mercedes cant get rid of lewis”
Thanks!
No thank YOU!
Please Lawrence I’m not ready for this discussion
We need to be one day.
I’ve started watching f1 just recently but if they retire I’d still be sad
Rightly so. They are icons of the sport.
We may not see them in F1 past 2026, although I am confident that we will be able to see them race in LeMans or some endurance championship
Oh Alonso and Verstappen will team up somewhere.
I have to agree, all 3 have the end of their careers entirely in their own hands, and will walk if and when it suits them more than anything.
Yep. There's nobody telling them to leave other than themselves.
I hope alonso never retires... I went into existential crisis when he left F1 the last time! I hope he is going to be TP or something when he stops as a driver...
I reckon he will retire from F1 for good but then join Le Mans with Max.
I can’t help but think that with all the contracts expiring this year, there will be so many new drivers that the contract $$& will be a lot less for the grid than what it is now. So drivers on the chopping block better be careful.
Possibly. Most might get a paycut if they survive.
I doubt it. Teams have been quite conservative in their driver selection these last few years, and I see no reason why ragt would change with another big regulation change incoming. Sure, we might have some drivers switching teams, but I think most will be retained and only a handful lose their drive.
You look like a really passionate uncle that couldn't find anyone to share his love to the sport with in real life so decided to make a UA-cam channel
Got it in one. I AM an uncle and this channel WAS born from having very few people to talk about F1 not across the country.
@@LawVSnailed it.
With Indycar being a social media fire with worries of Honda leaving. Alonso going for the triple crown again would certainly be nice, since Indycar’s future is unpredictable right now.
It might be a probable plan to capitalise on the discord.
At 50 the brain starts to noticeably slow, so thats a likely a hard cap for Fernando.
Perhaps, he's probably aware of that and is making hay while the sun shines.
interesting watching you talk about Lewis at Mercedes a month later after its been announced he's going to Ferrari. Guess he got tired of them, not the other way round
It seems like the board were tired of paying for Lewis without much return in the last two years.
@@LawVS true that. I'm sure the Scuderia are gonna love paying it even more
Can't imagine team LH wilding if he leaves.😂😂😂
His fandom will probably follow him wherever he chooses to go.
@@LawVSGood.
If all 3 retired Charles will still find a way to bottle the championship 😂😂😂
You mean Ferrari will 😉
Leclerc has never bottled a championship,infact he has only cost himself 36 points in his only season of a slight championship battle so its not bottling
I doubt that'll remain the case. Ferrari are making changes.
What are you talking about? Some people really don't deserve internet access 🤡
@@greenfj1466 This guy is a complete moron!
Nico left while under contract. You can’t force a driver to drive.
He did, yes. Hence why I can see Max upping sticks if he's not happy.
I think its actually all because of Max. Lewis is still around because of Max. Max has also secured firmly the RB leader role much faster and potentially longer than ever. Both outcome of Max is just creating a backlog of younger drivers waiting to take over the Merc or RB seat.
The traffic jam of driver movements is causing the grid to accumulate in overall experience and thus make team-to-team difference down to the wire. In this environment, no team will want to risk to take an untested driver and will chose experience over talent. What happened to De Vries is the result of this experience heavy grid today.
Thus why Alonso and even maybe Checo have a lifeline to stay on the grid for now.
Definitely. Max is making both Fernando and Lewis hungry and that is crucial for any driver regardless of age. If you have a goal strong enough to keep you going, you can achieve great things.
What about GR, I think they brought him in to make him the lead driver and he Is and if Lewis stays upto 2028 GR will be 30
They did. That was the plan. But then Lewis chose to stay.
I would say Alonso and Hamilton will retire after '25 but I think Verstappen will not retire, but move on to other racing series after either '27 or '28 with him retiring in the 2030s.
Oh we're talking about retiring from F1. Max will go play with Touring Cars and Endurance championships for the rest of his days.
Le Mans 24 hours@@LawVS
Do you think that the reason we are seeing 3 drivers with as much success as these 3 is due to the technological era we're in? Or legit skill? Maybe both? And if it is a trend outside just the driver's skill do you think we will slowly see the best of the best sifting to the top so we end up with a grid of Max/Lewis quality drivers? There certainly look like there could be a couple more on the grid at the moment that could reach that level and a few others waiting in the wings.
Combination of both. These drivers are skilled, don't get me wrong. But F1 is a team sport and it's the team that succeeds.
these three should enter as a WEC trio
I can easily Max and Fernando teaming up. Lewis will probably focus in his other ventures.
Most likely, but it would be a good way for lewis to boost/regain relevance should it drop after an F1 exit@@LawVS
I might just be me but I think fernando might try and complete the triple crown cause he’s already got 2 of the 3 needed
Oh yeah he will. Right now F1 is his priority but it would be wrong to assume he's done with Indy.
Ferenando has a bottomless hunger, Max is old school I can half ways imagine him making his own racing series maybe Formula E except more brutal. Hamilton just wants an 8th wdc.
That's one way to define it and it makes sense in a way.
I mean, this big 3 replaced a german with a dutch man who both happened to dominate in red bull machinery.
It's a shame Seb didn't get a chance for a last hurrah save for Baku 2021.
Sir Lewis? When he finally realizes that his days are over and there will be no 8th title. Fernando? When people are no longer willing to pay him for his services. Max? When Adrian Newey retires.
Right now though they seem happy enough and fans seem happy enough they are there...as are F1's marketing department.
@@LawVS Sure, they're crowd magnets...
I would have said to exclude Max from this discussion, but he has voiced his displeasure with the length of the season and some of the changes F1 has made, like sprints, he probably won't be around beyond the end of his 2028 contract.
Alonso has made his thoughts clear about season lengths too.
Fernando will be racing in the 2976 Mars gp
Watching this after the news that Lewis is going to Ferrari lol
Who would've seen that coming?
I can see Max staying in the sport for over 2028 to break even more records, otherwise I would watch for Piastri since he's got potential to become a F1 champion to.
I don't see him being overly invested in records to seek specifically. He just wants to race and enjoy himself. Once he stops doing so he will go somewhere else.
imagine if we see something similiar with max in lemans like with bruce mclaren in f1, starting his own team and creating one of the most famous car brands that is widely connected with motorsport.... bruh its year 2050 and my neighbor is driving a verstappen branded car XD
And Max is still racing.
Interesting.. You did not ask this when Luis dominated 7 years cinsecutive ?
Because I wasn't making videos then...
Whenever alonso retires, he might try to win the Indy 500. Perhaps along with max
Yeah he will give Indy another go, for sure. Whilst also doing endurance racing with Max.
When a teammate beat each of them badly. SO, they will quit because no excuses.
I guess so. But I don't see Checo, George or Lance doing that.
My opinion is fairly straightforward on this.
Alonso will retire not because of age but because he won’t get the results he wants, and at Aston Martin he has a chance but not as much if he had a Ferrari, Red Bull, McLaren or Mercedes. Alonso definitely still has unfinished business but a title tilt for him is out of reach. Win a race and he might go to WEC again and say “life is good here.”
Hamilton will retire not because of age but because he won’t get the results he wants, and if he doesn’t get the car he wants to match his aspirations then this is likely to happen with the current inner negativity he has been showing. What he does after F1 though feels a mystery.
Verstappen will retire because he’s after a new challenge in life. He’s winning and winning and already seems a bit fed up of it all. I don’t blame him IRO 2023 - it was all too easy. Give him a challenge, engage his interest and he will stay. Otherwise he can go. He’ll go wherever the engagement takes him, and signs suggest sportscars in some way.
Indeed. Age doesn't seem as much of a factor these days, it's more about drive.
I think it is as simple as they don't have kids or long term relationships, so they have long F1 careers (apart from max who isn't that old yet).
It's true. They can commit wholesale which is good for their career but it would be nice for them to have some me time or a companion.
I think Alonso and Hamilton retiring won’t change much no matter how big and influential they are it’s to be expected that a 40+yo driver will retire.
This happened a few times already Schumacher, Vettel and Alonso already retired.
But Verstappen, if your rules changes are so bad that the most dominant driver of the current era quit F1 at his peak to do other motorsport.
This could change F1 rules going forward and the perception of fans towards the FIA
Agreed. If Max walked because of that, before he was 30, it'd be a huge disgrace.
The text big three will be Norris, Leclerc and George
Maybe. Depends on a lot of factors, but the narrative DOES seem to be heading their way.
I think Max will continue to dominate until the new regulations & the 3 will become more like Dani Ric - the potential was there but the timing wasn’t right. The next big 3 might be drivers that just debuted/ have yet to debut in F1 (Piastri, Antonelli)
The next big 3 will be Piastri,
Le Clerc and Max. George and Norris are overrated imo.
Add Oscar, Carlos and Albono to that list
@Surfsaus George I agree, but Lando isn't overrated. Most people think he's a title contending talent, but is mistake prone.. which is properly rated if you ask me
interestingly, this video has aged a bit well in some of it's predictions. It appears like Hamilton feels like he was pushed out (to a degree), he may not say it that way but it certainly seems like the Merc execs were getting cold feel with him and essentially kept shoe-stringing him a long... it's like your boss just giving you a 0.5% pay-rise each year... yeah, they will give you something but it's nowhere near sustainable and that is the point.
I see Russell will leave Merc first before Ham. The task for Russell to prevent it from happening is beating Ham regularly from 2024.
Probably. George will get frustrated and move somewhere else, perhaps McLaren if Lando leaves.
I dont see this happening but what if Max and Alonso were to convince Lewis to drive endurance with them and they all retired together? It aint happening but it was a thought
It's a nice idea but I reckon once Lewis quits he will not race in anything other than ambassadorial stuff.
Lewis and Alonso will probably retire 2027/2028 and Verstappen may retire in around 10 years max
I can seriously see Max quitting if he gets bored or doesn't believe F1 is what he hoped it would be.
Only reason I see Alonso retiring from F1 is if he gets a solid chance at winning the indy 500 race which would make him the only other triple crown winner along Graham Hill.
For now he'll just be in AM maybe until 2025 or 2026.
But you bet he's trying that indy 500 win again.
That seems fair but Indy can accommodate drivers well into their 40s. He's got time.
These 3 have 12 WC's together. That is half of the championships of this century...
Quite formidable isn't it?
What about sergio or carlos?
I reckon Checo has his fanbase already and Carlos is still gaining his as a front runner finally.
Lol
lol, like Lance stroll... 😜
Contracts and string.
Why is every single F1 youtuber making a big3 retirement video once in a while?
I've not made one before...
@@LawVS But now you have. I've been seeing these videos ever since Alonso returned and Hamilton won his 7th championship. And none has retired
It would be really funny if Max is the first of them to retire.
Max is so straightforward that I realistically see that.
I think we're going to see Lewis and Fernando pull out in 2025, I don't think the differences between the cars are enough to make it make sense.
I think Max is going to get a fourth title in '24, maybe '25, and then take off.
Basically, I think in 2025 we're going to see the Big 3 take off for greener pastures. I doubt Lewis is going to bother with other categories. Fernando is going to go do other stuff for giggles. Verstappen is gonna go BRB and win Lemans for shits and giggles.
Max has a contract until the end of 2028 and he has always said he's planning on finishing that. But after that, who knows.
I can see Max walking midway through 2026 if he hates the car.
Lewis - 2025/26
Fernando - 2025
Max - 2031
(also btw i think Bottas will retire the same year as Lewis idk why)
I CAN see Fernando retiring in 2025 if Aston fall off HARD, but I doubt Lewis would walk away just yet. Considering he extended twice when it looks odds on he'd retire, he's basically gonna stay forever. As for Max, he's made it clear. If he is no longer having fun, he will go.
Why do people think number of titles is the only measure of “Greatest of all time”, surely car performance is relative? Let’s just take some hypothetical examples:
Driver A: has the fastest car 20 times and wins 5 titles.
Driver B: never has the fastest car, wins 4 titles.
You’re telling me driver A is greater? 🤨 People oversimplify the hell out of that argument. 😂
It's why Alonso despite having only 2 titles is easily up there with the best. His versatility and tenacity is legendary.
Once Verstappen leaves F1, I think he will go to WEC, compete and win Le Mans, and maybe if he does win Le Mans he might attempt The INDY 500 and going for the triple crown.
Yep. Endurance racing is his jam.
2031 Fernando alonso will retire pin this so I can come back to see if I embarrassed myself or impressed myself
Not sure about Hamilton or Alonso but I think Max is going to quit F1 after he's current contract with F1 in 2028 not because of age but he probably wants to do something else like wec/imsa or maybe even indy. He hasn't been exactly happy with the direction what F1 had been taking
Yep. Max won't retire in his late 30s, he will leave in his prime and go do something else.
I think Max will retire when his contract is done in ‘28. Doing other things. F1 going places he doesn’t like and he has reached his championship goal.
I don’t think Fernando and Lewis will be around that time either.
For Lewis the car he gets will decide I think when Merc can’t get a championship winning car he won’t be around in 2026.
Tbh same with Fernando.
Fernando and Max will go do LeMans. Would be great to watch that.
Yeah. I think that's why he made it so long. Get contract thoughts out of his head and drive.
Lewis: 26 or 27 (dependant on how the 26 car is)
Fernando: 26
Max: 2030
Fair summations.
The big 3 is hamilton alonso vettel…. 1 of them has retired. Max is a different generation, cant group them
I would think you can since they are currently the big 3 as of 2023/2024 and proabably another couple more years.
@@LawVS debatable, a grouping like big 3 has to be fitting to the crossing of careers, ie the big 4 in tennis, federer nadal djokovic and murray. Sure theyre arguably the best 3 right now but one could argue norris is now on alonsos level, i dno the grouping just doesnt fit for me, it’s different generations
@@LawVS good video tho, i agree with your predictions for the most part
That Kyalami talk is just for PR. Once Lewis gets his 8th or lose hope on achieving it, he’ll leave. So, 2026 is key.
Alonso might retire if Aston Martin going backwards. Again, 2026 is the yardstick.
As for Max, he’ll see out his contract until 2028. If Red Bull did well in the new regs, he MIGHT stay.
I suppose but I bet he will do his best to at least try and get Kyalami back on the grid. And yes, Alonso will call it a day if the plan deviates.
Sim racing in the off season? If only, sim racing as soon as he is done with f1 for the day. He is known to be sim racing an hour after winning a race 😂
I know what you mean but in the off season he can sim all day!
@@LawVS not quite, he has tea parties to attend 🤣🤣
My predictions
Lewis: 2026
Verstappen: 2030
Alonso: -never- 2025
These seem fair enough. Lewis could walk in 2026 if the car style isn't to his taste.
Alonso, then Hamilton and lastly MV. This is the order. The question is only when ......
Seems fair.
Alonso is outscoring the second driver .... AM would have to recruit someone to outscore Alonso because mini stroller certainly will never do it.
I think they know that, but they would hope that Lance will be a little closer having learnt from Fernando.
Also in the 90’s Max could test drive for endless hours.
Or long into the night. You know he'd do that if he could. I mean...he DOES drive for Red Bull. I think they've got a few cans spare for him.
I predict Fernando and Lewis will retire in 2027 if Mercedes and Aston Martin don't get the 2026 regulation changes right, Max might leave in 2028 after his contract is up.
True. The rule change is going to be pivotal for their futures.
Max will retire when he's bored and ready for WEC, I think. Lewis may not go unless Mercedes shows themselves to be a sinking ship (always too bullish, not enough consistency in cars lately.) Just my opinion.
When it comes to Alonso retiring.... I dont need that kind of negativity in my life. 😅😅
Yep. Max will walk when he feels like it.
Honestly there is only Two Max does not count stolen championship and FIA assisted
We've really got to let that go...