VOTE: Who's more likely to retire from F1 first - Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso?

A composite image split down the middle with Alonso in Aston Martin green with a green background on the left and Hamilton in Ferrari red with a red background on the right. Both are serious headshots with their cars behind them — Photo: © IMAGO

F1 Legends

VOTE: Who's more likely to retire from F1 first - Lewis Hamilton or Fernando Alonso?

Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton are both into their 40s

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Tuesday 17 February 2026 10:59

With the respective struggles of both their F1 teams, there is a real chance that we could lose one, or both, of Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton by the time 2026 is done with.

Both drivers are legends of the sport, with Hamilton being the most successful driver in the history of F1, and Alonso having claimed two world championships, 32 grand prix victories and being the man who holds the all-time record for the number of grand prix starts.

Such is their impressive longevity, Hamilton is entering his 20th season in 2026, and Alonso his 23rd.

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Yet both drivers are currently set to be out of contract at the end of the 2026 season, and there is no guarantee that either will stick around in the sport beyond the end of this year.

But which one of Hamilton or Alonso are more likely to retire first? Have your say at the bottom of the page in a GPFans poll.

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Who will retire first, Alonso or Hamilton?

Alonso's three-and-a-half-year advantage on Hamilton in terms of their age makes you think that it will be Alonso who retires first.

He will be 45 by the time 2026 is done, and he has already stated that he will retire at the end of this year if Aston Martin give him a car capable of challenging for race victories and podiums.

If they are in the midfield once more, however, Alonso has said that he will find it hard to walk away from the sport so soon, and may well sign another contract. During pre-season testing, Lance Stroll bemoaned that Aston Martin were four seconds off the front of the field, so that would suggest that the latter option is more likely for Alonso.

And while Alonso's continued solid driver performance means that his future is very much in his hands, Hamilton's may not be.

Alonso has defeated his team-mate Stroll comprehensively in each of the last three seasons, while Hamilton has only defeated a team-mate once in the last four seasons.

In 2025, Hamilton suffered his heaviest ever team-mate defeat, with Charles Leclerc trouncing him in the drivers' championship by 86 points. Hamilton didn't secure a single grand prix podium for the team in his first season at the Maranello outfit, while Leclerc secured seven in the same car.

2026 is a crucial year for Hamilton to show that last season was just a blip, and that he is still good enough to be able to fight against the likes of Leclerc, Lando Norris, George Russell and Max Verstappen if they all have cars capable of winning races.

If Ferrari feel like they can get a similar amount of performance out of a younger, much cheaper driver like Oliver Bearman, then why would they offer Hamilton a new contract for 2027 and beyond?

Of course, missing out on a Ferrari contract would not have to spell the end for Hamilton, he could sign with another team, but it shows the importance of this year for him.

Aston Martin and Ferrari's car performance in 2026 will likely have a huge bearing on whether we continue to see legends Alonso and Hamilton in F1 in 2027 or not.