You have to walk with me on this one but what if a Formula 1 doomsday actually played out before our eyes this year?
Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen all retire at the end of 2026, leaving the sport floundering for experienced talent in its ranks.
The notion seems outlandish, but the idea has been creeping into the paddock, fuelled by points of contention at the start of the season that could leave the sport in limbo.
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Alonso, everyone's favourite 'rookie', is now 44 years old.
A new father, Alonso has been put through the wringer with the new Aston Martin car, fighting harsh vibrations that could medically necessitate an earlier retirement than the Spaniard anticipated.
Four-time world champion Verstappen has been the most vocal about his impending exit from the sport.
Although nothing has pointed in the direction of a serious or official discussion, Verstappen has plenty of side quests on lock. Coupled with the departure of his long-time ally Gianpiero Lambiase, he could genuinely be on his way out.
And then there is one of the sport's greatest to ever do it; Hamilton's departure from the sport would be the cherry on top of a cake no one wants to eat.
Love him or hate him, Hamilton has completely rewritten the fabric of the sport through engineering feats, social-political and cultural movements and a relentless desire to leave the sport better than when he found it.
But Father Time is undefeated, and considering the Ferrari driver is now 41 years old, his exit may not be too far away.
The three veterans share 13 world championship between them and a total of 218 race wins. They've done the heavy lifting through the hybrid era and shaped the sport into what we see today.
They're also cult-like figures, each boasting a fiercely loyal, roving fanbase. The Dutch Grand Prix is a prime example, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan not wearing orange in Zandvoort.
So, who would step up to the plate for the sport?
The 2026 Formula 1 grid has an average age of 28.6 years. Take those three out, it then becomes 26.7 years.
Star power and boisterous personalities have driven the sport forward in the era of Netflix hit Drive to Survive, the subsequent fan surge handing F1 its current boom.
But if the veteran trio leaves, the next in line to take the mantle would be reigning world champion Lando Norris, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
George Russell could also be in the mix for a starring role, but going off race wins alone, he ends up behind both Cadillac drivers.
The glaring gap between Alonso's 32 race wins and Norris' 11 highlights the massive void in experience that would be left behind.
The younger crop of drivers all started their careers in the wake of Drive to Survive, riding the wave of motorsport's massive popularity influx.
This is not to say they lack authority over the grid, but it is wild to think that Norris would be the sole remaining world champion.
The young cohort has already taken on important mantles, Carlos Sainz and Russell head up the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and openly advocate to the stewards and the FIA for necessary changes for the grid.
But Alonso and Hamilton especially have brought a 'grandfather-like' energy to the newest crop of rookies.
When six teenagers joined the paddock in 2025, almost all of them were able to approach the veterans with engineering, technical, or even media questions.
Without that foundational knowledge, the sport could free-fall into a brave new world where newly-appointed Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are the mainstay drivers.
With the recent rise of Formula 1, we have seen a shift towards viewing it as the absolute pinnacle of motorsport.
But motorsport is rife with opportunity off the Formula 1 circuit; rally, WEC, the Le Mans 24 Hours, MotoGP, endurance racing, GT3, and Formula E, just to name a few.
Alonso has already shown us that you can leave F1, have a few whirls around some of the coolest tracks in the world, and come back to the sport and still enjoy it.
"We saw Fernando Alonso (take a sabbatical) much later in his career, Kimi Räikkönen even, when he wanted to go off and do something else away from what at that point was the politics of F1. It has happened with, you know, world champion-calibre drivers," Chris Medland told Wide World of Sports.
"And I actually think for motorsport as a whole, it could be very exciting to see Max go and race while at his prime, in other categories, because he would be racing other things.
"He's not someone who's saying 'I don't want to drive anymore, I want to take a break'. Much like Räikkönen and Alonso, he's saying 'I want to do other things', or 'I could do other things that I would enjoy and that's why I consider it'.
"I very much would see it as a sabbatical if he were to go."
Today's younger drivers are in a class of their own. Time and time again, we have seen top-tier racing talent arrive with extreme professionalism and pedigree at frighteningly young ages.
Take Kimi Antonelli for example. He was part of the Mercedes Driver Academy at age 12 and joined the ranks of top junior team Prema to learn the ins and outs of racing early on.
Now, he's on track to become a genuine threat with Mercedes, with two race wins in 2026 already in the bank.
In previous eras, drivers came onto the grid bright eyed and bushy-tailed, with zero media training and a steep learning curve ahead of them both inside and outside the car.
Think of Daniel Ricciardo when he joined HRT with a grin bigger than his face. His appointment at 22 is a far cry from, say, Isack Hadjar who at 23 is already commanding dominance at Red Bull.
David Coulthard echoed the sentiment that Formula 1 would have a massive gap to fill in Verstappen's absence, noting that the top three top drivers serve as a baseline for everyone else to measure their data against.
Without their guidance, it will be difficult for rookies to fill the gaping shoes left behind by legends like Hamilton, Alonso and Verstappen.
"Talent is talent, and what I think the only thing that young talent misses is life experience," Coulthard said when speaking to Wide World of Sports late in the 2025 season.
"They've got a decade or more of racing experience, because they've all started in karting, or they've started on dirt tracks.
"So if you do anything for a decade...you'd get there.
"I don't want to take anything away from them, but the bottom line of Formula 1 is always who's the best driver, and how does that person compare?
"My point is, it's great to see young talent coming up, but once you stop celebrating how good they're doing in the first year, you go, right, how good are they?
"And if they can't beat the best guy, they sadly aren't good enough, and life goes on."
Formula 1 will return to the track on May 2 in Miami.
You have to walk with me on this one but what if a Formula 1 doomsday actually played out before our eyes this year?
Fernando Alonso, Lewis Hamilton and Max Verstappen all retire at the end of 2026, leaving the sport floundering for experienced talent in its ranks.
The notion seems outlandish, but the idea has been creeping into the paddock, fuelled by points of contention at the start of the season that could leave the sport in limbo.
READ MORE: Butters guilty of umpire abuse but mystery over why
READ MORE: Eels star saves $1.8k with rare judiciary move
READ MORE: Saint cops massive ban for homophobic slur towards ex teammate
Alonso, everyone's favourite 'rookie', is now 44 years old.
A new father, Alonso has been put through the wringer with the new Aston Martin car, fighting harsh vibrations that could medically necessitate an earlier retirement than the Spaniard anticipated.
Four-time world champion Verstappen has been the most vocal about his impending exit from the sport.
Although nothing has pointed in the direction of a serious or official discussion, Verstappen has plenty of side quests on lock. Coupled with the departure of his long-time ally Gianpiero Lambiase, he could genuinely be on his way out.
And then there is one of the sport's greatest to ever do it; Hamilton's departure from the sport would be the cherry on top of a cake no one wants to eat.
Love him or hate him, Hamilton has completely rewritten the fabric of the sport through engineering feats, social-political and cultural movements and a relentless desire to leave the sport better than when he found it.
But Father Time is undefeated, and considering the Ferrari driver is now 41 years old, his exit may not be too far away.
The three veterans share 13 world championship between them and a total of 218 race wins. They've done the heavy lifting through the hybrid era and shaped the sport into what we see today.
They're also cult-like figures, each boasting a fiercely loyal, roving fanbase. The Dutch Grand Prix is a prime example, you'd be hard-pressed to find a fan not wearing orange in Zandvoort.
So, who would step up to the plate for the sport?
The 2026 Formula 1 grid has an average age of 28.6 years. Take those three out, it then becomes 26.7 years.
Star power and boisterous personalities have driven the sport forward in the era of Netflix hit Drive to Survive, the subsequent fan surge handing F1 its current boom.
But if the veteran trio leaves, the next in line to take the mantle would be reigning world champion Lando Norris, Ferrari's Charles Leclerc and Oscar Piastri.
George Russell could also be in the mix for a starring role, but going off race wins alone, he ends up behind both Cadillac drivers.
The glaring gap between Alonso's 32 race wins and Norris' 11 highlights the massive void in experience that would be left behind.
The younger crop of drivers all started their careers in the wake of Drive to Survive, riding the wave of motorsport's massive popularity influx.
This is not to say they lack authority over the grid, but it is wild to think that Norris would be the sole remaining world champion.
The young cohort has already taken on important mantles, Carlos Sainz and Russell head up the Grand Prix Drivers' Association and openly advocate to the stewards and the FIA for necessary changes for the grid.
But Alonso and Hamilton especially have brought a 'grandfather-like' energy to the newest crop of rookies.
When six teenagers joined the paddock in 2025, almost all of them were able to approach the veterans with engineering, technical, or even media questions.
Without that foundational knowledge, the sport could free-fall into a brave new world where newly-appointed Cadillac drivers Sergio Perez and Valtteri Bottas are the mainstay drivers.
With the recent rise of Formula 1, we have seen a shift towards viewing it as the absolute pinnacle of motorsport.
But motorsport is rife with opportunity off the Formula 1 circuit; rally, WEC, the Le Mans 24 Hours, MotoGP, endurance racing, GT3, and Formula E, just to name a few.
Alonso has already shown us that you can leave F1, have a few whirls around some of the coolest tracks in the world, and come back to the sport and still enjoy it.
"We saw Fernando Alonso (take a sabbatical) much later in his career, Kimi Räikkönen even, when he wanted to go off and do something else away from what at that point was the politics of F1. It has happened with, you know, world champion-calibre drivers," Chris Medland told Wide World of Sports.
"And I actually think for motorsport as a whole, it could be very exciting to see Max go and race while at his prime, in other categories, because he would be racing other things.
"He's not someone who's saying 'I don't want to drive anymore, I want to take a break'. Much like Räikkönen and Alonso, he's saying 'I want to do other things', or 'I could do other things that I would enjoy and that's why I consider it'.
"I very much would see it as a sabbatical if he were to go."
Today's younger drivers are in a class of their own. Time and time again, we have seen top-tier racing talent arrive with extreme professionalism and pedigree at frighteningly young ages.
Take Kimi Antonelli for example. He was part of the Mercedes Driver Academy at age 12 and joined the ranks of top junior team Prema to learn the ins and outs of racing early on.
Now, he's on track to become a genuine threat with Mercedes, with two race wins in 2026 already in the bank.
In previous eras, drivers came onto the grid bright eyed and bushy-tailed, with zero media training and a steep learning curve ahead of them both inside and outside the car.
Think of Daniel Ricciardo when he joined HRT with a grin bigger than his face. His appointment at 22 is a far cry from, say, Isack Hadjar who at 23 is already commanding dominance at Red Bull.
David Coulthard echoed the sentiment that Formula 1 would have a massive gap to fill in Verstappen's absence, noting that the top three top drivers serve as a baseline for everyone else to measure their data against.
Without their guidance, it will be difficult for rookies to fill the gaping shoes left behind by legends like Hamilton, Alonso and Verstappen.
"Talent is talent, and what I think the only thing that young talent misses is life experience," Coulthard said when speaking to Wide World of Sports late in the 2025 season.
"They've got a decade or more of racing experience, because they've all started in karting, or they've started on dirt tracks.
"So if you do anything for a decade...you'd get there.
"I don't want to take anything away from them, but the bottom line of Formula 1 is always who's the best driver, and how does that person compare?
"My point is, it's great to see young talent coming up, but once you stop celebrating how good they're doing in the first year, you go, right, how good are they?
"And if they can't beat the best guy, they sadly aren't good enough, and life goes on."
Formula 1 will return to the track on May 2 in Miami.
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