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it weirdly came to me today, why do we think drivers careers longevity is much longer today than it was in the earlier days of F1. because 6 of 8 drivers to have competed in the most seasons have all either competed fully or significant part of their career since the start of the millennium. & that 10 years in F1 doesnt seem to be big achievement it seemed to be. when Daniel Riccardo left after 12 seasons it seemed it was that he was still in middle of his career. despite being in F1 nearly as long as Prost or Berger. who certaintly the latter seemed to be a journeyman

• do teams rely more on experience than youth these days
• to contradict it slightly is it that the drivers are starting younger. so where 10 yrs used be mid 30s. people Lando & Verstappen would still be in their late 20s after 10 yrs
• are the drivers fitter & its a knock on from how Schumacher transformed the sport. in the 90s
• are these cars easier to drive. & the reason why Alonso, Kimi, Schumacher & probally Lewis are able to drive into their 40s
• was there better quality in the lower formulaes or just because of more cars on the grid, more got a chance to show their quality & so more team changes
• is drivers motivations different, that older drivers would rather drive a midfield backmarker F1 car. than in 90s where they went go to WEC or indycar & fight for victory .