Leaving Formula One must be difficult – unless you’re the Iceman. The circus stops and the jet-setting lifestyle slows – to a mere 174mph – as drivers try their hand at other series such as Formula E.
Alas, all good things must come to an end and it is important for drivers not to overstay their welcome. It always makes your spine tingle, and possibly provides an opportunity for that mid-race toilet break, when a driver you once loved looks hopelessly out of their depth.
So, as we build up to this weekends Imola Grand Prix, in what already looks like a fantastic season.
I have attempted to cut the grid by a quarter.
It’s worth noting that not all these drivers are necessarily past their prime, but have maybe found themselves out of luck in the annual transfer sagas that exist within Formula One.
Either way, this is why these five drivers need to move on to pastures new come the end of the season.
Lewis Hamilton
That’s right. I’ve gone straight in with the nuclear button. Hear me out.
Lewis Hamilton has provided F1 fans with much joy and excitement since bursting onto the scene in 2007.
His electric pace has been consistent and no matter how much you complain about his dominance, the man chose his cars well.
His decision to move to Mercedes was inspired and ushered in an era of dominance we may not see again for decades to come.
However, I’m afraid we will never see him win another World Drivers Championship.
I firmly believe that if they won both the WDC and WCC in 2021, both Hamilton and Mercedes Team Principal, Toto Wolff would’ve left the Silver Arrows basking in the glory as they skipped off into the sunset.
It was a titanic battle and while it’s up to you to decide whether they did or did not deserve the title, it has undoubtedly taken a lot out of them going into this season.
Hamilton has fallen out of love with the sport that has given him so much.
While Michael Masi has now been handed his marching orders, the admission of guilt will irk Lewis as it still doesn’t give him what he craves – that elusive eighth World Title.
This season is unchartered territory for the Mercedes outfit. No longer clear frontrunners, they are scrapping for every podium they can get.
I don’t think it will be enough with a strong Ferrari outfit looking dominant in the early stages of the season.
More to the point, I don’t think they’ll ever have the same desire to reclaim their crown again – with the Hamilton/Wolff pairing anyway.
Don’t get me wrong the Mercedes personnel are some of the best in the business. They just can’t go forever.
Recently knighted Sir Lewis has more than enough on his plate to keep him going with his army of social media fans and sponsorships with companies like Tommy Hilfiger, showing his talents are not limited to sport.
He even has his X44 Xtreme E team to keep him sharp between the ears in the motorsport circle.
Hamilton will go down as a true legend and once he hangs up his helmet, his talent will truly be appreciated, as is the case with legends gone by.
He may not overtake Schumacher, but the fact that he has drawn level means his name will always be in the pot when conversation turns to the F1 GOAT.
Pierre Gasly
The most controversial decision on this list as many would argue Pierre is in his prime.
He’s had more than a few scintillating races in the AlphaTauri across seasons gone by with the obvious highlight being that Monza win back in 2020.
We all remember that infamous spell at Red Bull a year earlier, though, and the painful footage from Drive to Survive as he was simply unable to get the most out of the car. There is no shame in that, as many have tried and failed in that lightning quick yet oh so delicate Red Bull.
I have been impressed by his ability to rebuild his career in F1, but the sport is simply so fast-paced.
In August 2021 Red Bull chief Dr Helmut Marko said Gasly will be ‘promoted or let go in next two years’.
But time waits for no man and by 2023 new talents like Oscar Piastri – current FIA Formula 2 Champion – will have joined an already bloated young driver market.
Alonso’s desire to remain in F1 for a few years yet may see the Milton Keynes team take an expensive gamble on the young Australian.
The conveyor belt that is the Red Bull driver programme is bound to cough up another prodigious talent sooner rather than later as well.
If he does the job at AlphaTauri, there’s every chance he will get another shot at that coveted Red Bull seat.
Something which he has publicly stated is his aim.
Unfortunately, I just can’t see it happening for him again. Red Bull’s decision to keep Sergio Perez shows they are content with a clear number one followed by an adequate rear gunner.
If you wanted box office in a similar fashion to Hamilton/Russell at Mercedes, then surely it was worth a punt this year pairing Gasly with Verstappen? A chance to reclaim the WCC alongside the WDC, perhaps.
The fact is they played it safe and Red Bull’s decision on Perez next year may be determined more by the Mexican’s performance rather than any Gasly heroics.
That leaves him looking elsewhere.
A Mercedes drive could await if my previous prediction comes true but when I look into my crystal ball, I just don’t see Pierre at a top team again.
He is undoubtedly a fast driver who is simply a victim of F1’s impatient, chop-and-change ways.
It may be time to cut the chord to Christian Horner and try his hand at a different formula.
F1 is the pinnacle for many, but Gasly is talented enough to go on to have a successful and trophy-laden career in any direction he goes.
Sebastian Vettel
Oh Seb. F1’s good guy. Fireman, Scooter-rider, Environmentalist, Humanitarian.
Is there anything this guy can’t do?
Drive an F1 car to the absolute limit, apparently.
It’s easy to forget Vettel is only 34. Those four dominant title winning seasons came and went in a heartbeat. as he ripped up the record books one finger at a time.
It was always going to be hard to replicate that throughout his career but the drop off in form has been spectacular.
After getting a hiding from his inexperienced Aussie teammate Daniel Ricciardo in 2014, he tried and failed to bring the championship back to Maranello.
In truth, the Ferrari never seemed like a title winning car.
Its development curve never managing to capture the relentless growth offered by the Mercedes machine.
He didn’t do himself any favours, however.
Mistakes have crept in and have since lingered. Take the US Grand Prix 2018 when he spun without contact. It wasn’t even the first time he’d done it that season.
By the time he got his move away from Ferrari after being comprehensively beaten by Charles Leclerc, many questioned whether he truly deserved the Aston Martin seat.
Especially after Sergio Perez secured his first win at the back end of the 2020 season.
He got it anyway. Maybe on talent and fond memories alone.
While Hamilton and Alonso still seem to possess their old tricks, Seb looks like a man who is content with life, but not hungry for more.
This season has been a disaster with Covid and a poor package meaning Aston Martin sit last with zero points so far in the championship.
Even Lawrence Stroll’s mega bucks may not be able to bail themselves out of this one.
We may never see a talent be so prolific at the start of an F1 career again.
The beaming smile and X rated car names (I’m looking at you, Kate’s Dirty Sister) aligning perfectly with his speed and confidence.
Weltmeister has provided us with some fantastic moments over years.
Although unlike his hairline, there’ll be no miraculous comeback. It’s time to move on and jump into the cockpit of a different car. If he so desires.
Or maybe a career in politics? Senator Seb’s got a nice ring to it.
Daniel Ricciardo
One thing that’s crossed my mind – and I imagine many others – over the last season is this.
Is Danny Ricciardo actually any good?
He’s always carried this aura with him. Maybe its the smile, the confidence or the brilliant Aussie lingo – I’m still trying to get people to say ‘lick the stamp and send it’ here in Wales with no success.
The reality however is that, possibly through poor team transfer decisions, he hasn’t really been a star since 2014 when he put Sebastian Vettel in his place.
He stood up against Verstappen well. Despite being in an environment which was reminiscent of the inter-team politics his compatriot and predecessor, Mark Webber had to face.
It may not have been as clear cut but Max has always been their golden boy.
Still, as Christian Horner has attested to, it was a shock when he left the Red Bull stable and they didn’t even want him to go.
He left to become his own man and lead a team. Was it ever truly going to work out at Renault though?
You could argue we all said the same about Mercedes after that troubled yet potential-filled 2013 season.
Either way, it hasn’t really happened for him and his run of beating average teammates in Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon lulled us into a false sense of security that Ricciardo is a world beater.
To our surprise, he hasn’t stood up at all well against the spritely Lando Norris.
Barring that brilliant win in Monza – which Norris had a chance of taking himself – there hasn’t been much to write home about for the Aussie.
You do also feel that he may have spent his tokens.
Red Bull, Renault, McLaren. Three teams steeped in history in the world of F1 with titles and success through the decades in one iteration or another.
Ferrari’s camp is settled for at least five years if they want it to and I just can’t see him going to Mercedes with their talented upcoming drivers.
George Russell will be with us for at least a decade with his prodigious talent.
All this means that it could be it for Ricciardo at the end of the season – unless he wants to move down the ladder. Something I couldn’t see him doing.
McLaren don’t seem to have the title-winning car they desired and it could take a couple of years before they’re challenging.
That isn’t time that Ricciardo necessarily has and the team may choose to partner Norris with another young contender, bringing them both up in a three year plan to conquer the F1 world.
Alternatively, he may think that he’s had enough. Ricciardo has always come across as a deep thinker in his interviews and Beyond the Grid appearances.
Maybe he’s starting to think that he’s reached the end of his tether and his talents may lie eslewhere.
The F1 paddock will be little darker without the beaming Honey Badger bouncing around the grid.
Just like Seb though, you can’t stay in F1 forever just because you’re a nice guy.
Danny Ric may be licking the stamp on his P45 soon if he isn’t careful.
Nicholas Latifi
I’m ending on a tune we can all listen to. It’s been no secret Nicholas Latifi came in as a pay driver and he currently offers Williams $30 million reasons to keep him in the team.
For a team like Williams looking to return to their former glory and low on cash in the lavish world of F1, that cash injection can be crucial to keeping the team afloat.
You still need the quality on the race track, however.
Dorilton Capital acquired the team in August 2020 with the promise of a long-term future and a hopeful return to the top.
WIth the introduction of the cost-capping measures, you’d hope the team has a bit of room to breathe with the finances.
That provides Williams with a chance to get two quality drivers to lead them forward.
In Jost Capito they have a leader. Now they need to back it up.
Every driver deserves their chance to develop and grow in the sport. Only the best will hit the ground running from the word go.
But this is his third season in F1 now.
While Alexander Albon has come back onto the grid and put in a sterling display in Australia to claim a point Latifi managed a distant 16th.
He’s also prone to getting involved in the odd scrape – most notably that crash in Abu Dhabi 2021.
When the Canadian was up against George Russell, we all went along with the idea that no driver would be able to challenge him.
Too talented and too hungry to achieve success with the Williams team.
Now Latifi is the defacto team leader, there is no room for error. If performances continue like they’ve started, his stock will drop like a stone.
At 26 he is no spring chicken either. That’s the same age as Pierre Gasly and even though he’s also ended up on my list, it shows how far behind Latifi is in F1 as he still scrapes the barrel of the lower order positions.
There have been good times, of course. That double-points finish in Hungary for the Williams team was heart-warming to see and the whole F1 community smiled along with them that day.
Latifi finished ahead of Russell that day. An anomaly during their time as teammates.
As with Ricciardo in Monza, there was a sense that their teammates had more to offer, but prioritised the team like the good guys they are.
There weren’t many more high points in an otherwise disappointing 2021 season for Latifi and the Grove outfit.
While his teammate has since taken the inevitable promotion that seemed to be coming for years, Latifi needs to lead Williams up the grid to capitalise on this years regulation changes.
We may only be three races in but I have more faith in Albon to do that already.
Williams will do themselves a favour by cutting off the dead wood and getting a talent in to spearhead this new era for the team.
Even a safe pair of hands like Nico Hulkenberg may be more suitable for a season or two as someone with experience who knows the team.
Hopefully the new rules will allow teams to prioritise brilliance over bread in the future.