Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso could retire from F1 on very same day due to key contract similarity

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Ferrari driver Lewis Hamilton turned 40 earlier this week. Longtime rival Fernando Alonso is the only other driver in that age bracket.

Clearly, both are in the final stages of their F1 careers. There’s a strong possibility that they’ve each signed their last contracts.

Alonso is three years older than Hamilton but his commitment and longevity are both abnormal. There’s no guarantee that his old McLaren teammate will have the same appetite.

The age spread on the 2025 grid is remarkable. Hamilton and Alonso are in their 40s, Nico Hulkenberg is 37, but Carlos Sainz is the only other driver to have reached 30.

A generational shift is occurring in the sport. Five rookies arrive for the new campaign, with 18-year-old Kimi Antonelli becoming the third-youngest driver ever as he replaces Hamilton at Mercedes.

Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso have both signed the same F1 contract

Hamilton’s Ferrari deal runs until 2026, at which point the two parties will reassess. If both are happy to continue, then he could be racing beyond his 42nd birthday.

But if he manages to win a record eighth world title either this year or next, he may view his career as complete. On the other hand, there may be a mutual decision to part ways if the struggles from his final Mercedes season continue.

Meanwhile, Alonso penned a contract extension at Aston Martin earlier this year. Again, this only guarantees him a seat until the end of 2026.

• READ MORE: Mercedes insider says Lewis Hamilton now has ‘very clear’ idea of when he’ll retire from Formula 1

The ex-Alpine driver is still holding out hope of a third championship, or 33rd career victory. And the 2026 regulation changes present an opportunity, with Adrian Newey on board and ex-Mercedes engine mastermind Andy Cowell overseeing the new partnership with Honda.

If Aston are a contender, it’s feasible that Alonso will look to extend his career by another year or two. But at this stage, the most realistic outcome is that he walks away in December ’26 at the age of 45.

Thus, the sport could well see two of its greatest drivers bow out on the very same day. The 2026 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – assuming that remains the finale – might be the most significant race in F1 history.

How Sebastian Vettel saw right through Fernando Alonso’s first F1 retirement

This wouldn’t be the first time Alonso has retired from F1. He nominally hung up his helmet at the end of 2018 after four largely miserable years at McLaren.

But there were suspicions, voiced by Sebastian Vettel, that his F1 journey was not yet at an end. He knew, given his reputation, he could find his way back onto the grid if he recovered his motivation.

Vettel was right about Alonso’s retirement, with the Spaniard making a comeback at Alpine in 2021. He’s surpassed 100 podiums since joining Aston, but only victories or a title would truly justify his return.