Netflix F1 fans...Fernando Alonso has a problem with you!

Fernando Alonso, Aston Martin, British GP, Britain, 2025 — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Analysis

Netflix F1 fans...Fernando Alonso has a problem with you!

Fernando Alonso's age was a recent topic of discussion

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 30 July 2025 13:13

Aging is just another word for living! Age is just a number! Age only matters if you are a fine wine...

Somewhere, in households across the world, these quotes are displayed proudly on fridge magnets with a bold ‘live, laugh, love’ attitude that must be commended, even if it is outside your own personal taste.

I like to think Fernando Alonso has one, diligently bolted to his garden shed as a reminder he can do it! That he’s got what it takes to go against F1’s young guns.

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And you know what? He does! The champion turned 44 this week and continues to outclass his much younger team-mate Lance Stroll weekend after weekend.

In fact, the Canadian has failed to beat Alonso once in qualifying this year; and if the Spaniard gets his hands on a championship winning Aston Martin in 2026, there’s no doubt he could fight for a third world title.

But, apparently young F1 fans, who flocked to the sport in their hoards after they watched Netflix docu-series Drive to Survive, don't think so. At least according to Car Magazine Brazil, the talent of older drivers has come as a total shock to them!

When this was posed as a question to Alonso at the Belgian Grand Prix – yes really – the Spaniard had a very clear message to Netflix fans who thought this about himself and Nico Hulkenberg - who earned his first F1 podium at Silverstone this year.

"We both don’t care too much about what the next-generation fans think," Alonso declared.

Is Alonso’s age really an issue in F1?

The ‘us versus them’ narrative older F1 fans like to perpetuate is as stale as a discounted loaf in a poor supermarket's bakery section. Who honestly cares when someone first starts watching F1?

Whether it was last week or since you could first make the sound 'neow', every type of fan is welcome.

Anyway, it's not just ‘Netflix fans’ moaning about drivers being too old. 65-year-old petrolhead Jeremy Clarkson labelled Lewis Hamilton as ‘too old’ and past his prime last year. In fact, middle-aged men with columns continuously take a pop at Hamilton's age. So, why are younger Netflix fans getting the heat?

Alonso further explained his focus to these 'Netflix fans' in the press conference, after being left bewildered by the bizarre question and clarified how much work he puts into F1.

At 44, Fernando Alonso is the oldest F1 driver on the grid in 2025

“We only try to win races, try to work with our team the best we can, and deliver the performance. The fans and the people outside watching TV, they don’t have the full picture of what is going on and the difference in performance between the cars,” he said.

“So, if next year Nico and myself have a winning car and we win eight consecutive races and fight for the championship, then they will think that we ate something different in winter or had a different training programme and we learned how to drive in the winter.

“When we achieve the result, we just try to share it with them and our fans around the world — but they are not in our priority. And it cannot sound rude to anyone — we love the fans — but we don’t think about of if they realise how good or bad we drive.”

So, if you’re a Netflix fan who thinks Fernando Alonso’s too old, there you go! You’re wrong! And, he doesn’t have to prove himself to you.

However, I suspect there are little to no Drive to Survive fans who felt he had to in the first place.

But, hey! In an era where culture wars are whipped up in just about every arena, why not do it in an FIA press conference? It will make one hell of a quote graphic!

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Written by

Sheona Mountford - F1 Journalist

Sheona Mountford is a motorsport journalist specialising in F1. As a writer and contributor, she covers a wide range of motorsport series from F1 to F1 Academy, responsible for breaking news, live race coverage and in depth analysis of the sport and the culture around it.

View full biography

Aston Martin Fernando Alonso Lance Stroll Silverstone Nico Hulkenberg