Ex-Formula 1 race winner Ralf Schumacher has questioned Fernando Alonso’s continued presence on the grid, arguing that teams are now “afraid” to field young drivers.
Since returning to the sport in 2021, Alonso has remained one of the most consistent performers on the grid and landed the second-most podium finishes last season.
The Spaniard, 42, revealed that he attained his best-ever winter training results ahead of this campaign and hinted that he could be prepared to race in F1 until he is 50.
Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton will extend his illustrious F1 career into his 40s amid the bombshell news last month that he has signed a multi-year contract with Ferrari.
The field has remained unchanged at the start of an F1 season for the first time, with the Formula 2 champion missing out on a promotion for the third time in five years.
Schumacher believes that the lack of in-season testing is harming prospective talents from graduating and has urged changes to be made to “break this vicious cycle”.
“And the now 42-year-old Alonso is driving instead. Nothing against Alonso – but it can’t be the aim of Formula 1 to get older and older,” Schumacher told Speedweek.
Daniel Ricciardo sustaining a broken wrist in a practice crash at Zandvoort last season disrupted his F1 comeback and presented Liam Lawson with his F1 debut.
The New Zealander impressed across his five outings, landing a ninth-place finish in Singapore, but he has returned to the sidelines as RB retained its driver pairing.
Likewise, an appendicitis diagnosis for Carlos Sainz during the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw Oliver Bearman be thrust into the limelight as his replacement at Ferrari.
Despite receiving one practice session, the Briton, 18, excelled under pressure to beat compatriots Hamilton and Lando Norris to seventh in his maiden F1 appearance.
“It was really important for someone to come in, be thrown in and achieve a good result,” Schumacher added. “Every team was almost afraid to take on new drivers.
“Hopefully it will lead to new drivers coming in again.”
Bearman has since resumed his extensive F1 testing programme with Ferrari, sampling the Italian marque’s 2022 challenger, the F1-75, at the team’s Fiorano test track.
He is also scheduled to complete six FP1 sessions with Haas, but Ferrari Team Principal Frederic Vasseur has cooled expectations on Bearman’s F1 chances for 2025.
“He did one event. I think the best way to help him is not to draw a conclusion today,” Vasseur cautioned.
“Okay, that we have to take it easy, that he will have other opportunities during the season to do FP1, to test the car, to… okay. And we will do it properly.
“The main focus is and will stay the F2 this season. He has a huge challenge that I will keep in mind also that he was in pole position and I will, and I killed a weekend for him in F2.
“But he has a huge challenge in F2 and it’s the first challenge of the season.”
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