Jackie Stewart is the oldest surviving Grand Prix winner and one of only two drivers still alive who won a Grand Prix in the 1960s.
Grand Prix racing legend Tony Brooks passed away in May 2022 at the age of 90. Prior to his death, Brooks, who won six World Championship races between 1957 and 1959, was the only remaining driver who had won a race in the 1950s.
Brooks became the sole remaining winner from the 1950s following Stirling Moss’ death in April 2020. Moss and Brooks actually shared one victory, at the 1957 British Grand Prix. It was the third and final time that two drivers shared a victory at a World Championship event.
At the age of 83, Jackie Stewart is now the oldest living Grand Prix winner. Stewart, who won three World Championship titles, took what was then a record-breaking 27 victories in his career between 1965 and 1973. Stewart is one of only two surviving Grand Prix winners from the 1960s. The other is Jacky Ickx, who took three victories in the final two years of the decade.
SURVIVING GRAND PRIX WINNERS BY DECADE
The table below shows the surviving Grand Prix winners from each decade. For each decade, the drivers are sorted in age order. The table is correct as of February 2024.
| Decade | Surviving Grand Prix winners |
|---|---|
| 1950s | None |
| 1960s | Jackie Stewart, Jacky Ickx |
| 1970s | Jackie Stewart, Mario Andretti, Jacques Laffite, Jacky Ickx, John Watson, Jochen Mass, Alan Jones, Emerson Fittipaldi, Jody Scheckter |
| 1980s | Jacques Laffite, John Watson, Alan Jones, Rene Arnoux, Keke Rosberg, Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Thierry Boutsen, Alessandro Nannini, Gerhard Berger |
| 1990s | Nelson Piquet, Nigel Mansell, Riccardo Patrese, Alain Prost, Thierry Boutsen, Gerhard Berger, Damon Hill, Jean Alesi, Johnny Herbert, Eddie Irvine, Olivier Panis, Heinz-Harald Frentzen, Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Jacques Villeneuve |
| 2000s | Mika Hakkinen, Michael Schumacher, David Coulthard, Rubens Barrichello, Giancarlo Fisichella, Jarno Trulli, Ralf Schumacher, Juan Pablo Montoya, Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Felipe Massa, Fernando Alonso, Heikki Kovalainen, Robert Kubica, Lewis Hamilton, Sebastian Vettel |
| 2010s | Mark Webber, Kimi Raikkonen, Jenson Button, Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton, Pastor Maldonado, Nico Rosberg, Sebastian Vettel, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc |
| 2020s | Lewis Hamilton, Daniel Ricciardo, Valtteri Bottas, Sergio Perez, Carlos Sainz, Pierre Gasly, Esteban Ocon, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc, George Russell |
THE OLDEST POLESITTER, PODIUM FINISHER AND POINTS SCORER
When Brooks passed away, Stewart also became the oldest surviving driver to have taken pole position at a Formula 1 race. He is eight months older than Mario Andretti, who sits second on the list.
Hans Hermann, who is 95, is the oldest living driver to have set the fastest lap in a World Championship Grand Prix. He set the only fastest lap of his career at the 1954 French Grand Prix. Meanwhile, Paul Goldsmith is the oldest surviving points scorer and podium finisher. Goldsmith, who is 98, competed only at the Indianapolis 500, back when it counted as a round of the championship between 1950 and 1960. Hermann is the oldest surviving Grand Prix podium finisher.
French driver Hermano da Silva Ramos, age 98, is the oldest living man to have scored points in a Grand Prix. He scored the only points of his career with a fifth place finish in the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix.
THE OLDEST SURVIVING GRAND PRIX DRIVER
At 98 years of age, Paul Goldsmith is the oldest surviving driver who took part in a round of the F1 World Championship. Goldsmith raced in the Indianapolis 500 when it counted towards the Drivers’ Championship in 1958, 1959 and 1960. His best result was third place in the 1960 Indianapolis 500.
The oldest surviving Grand Prix driver is Hermano João da Silva Ramos, who was born in December 1925. The Frenchman drove in seven races with Gordini in 1955 and 1956, recording a best result of fifth at the 1956 Monaco Grand Prix.
HOW MANY F1 DRIVERS HAVE REACHED THE AGE OF 100?
Da Silva Ramos became the oldest surviving Grand Prix driver in April 2023, following the death of Ken McAlpine. McAlpine died at the age of 102. Born in September 1920, McAlpine appeared at seven races in the 1950s with the Connaught team.
McAlpine is one of only two F1 racers to have celebrated their centenary birthday. The other is Paul Pietsch, who turned 100 in June 2011. The German racer passed away only 20 days prior to his 101st birthday.
Header image: Lothar Spurzem, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA-DE 2.0
This post was originally published in May 2022 and has since been updated.