Hamilton matches Schumacher and Alonso in historic F1 longevity milestone. Lewis Hamilton joins elite F1 club with podiums across three decades.

Lewis Hamilton has become one of only four drivers in Formula 1 history to stand on the podium in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Hamilton enters an exclusive club

So far, China has represented something of a happy hunting ground for Lewis Hamilton in Ferrari colors. It was here that the seven-time world champion secured his only victory with the Scuderia—although it does not officially count in the statistics, as it came during the 2025 Sprint—as well as his first Grand Prix podium for the Italian team.

In Shanghai, with an impressive and composed performance, the British driver claimed third place behind the untouchable Mercedes cars and ahead of his teammate Charles Leclerc. In doing so, he finally broke the streak that had seen him miss out on podium finishes since joining Ferrari, while also confirming his excellent form, particularly from a mental standpoint.

With Sunday’s result, Sir Lewis has now joined Michael Schumacher, Fernando Alonso, and Nigel Mansell in an exclusive group of drivers who have achieved at least one Formula 1 podium in their 20s, 30s, and 40s.

Notably, Hamilton’s very first podium came exactly 19 years ago, on March 18, 2007. On that occasion, in Melbourne, the young British driver stunned the paddock on his Formula 1 debut by finishing third—and, above all, by showing no signs of intimidation against his McLaren teammate at the time, Fernando Alonso, who had won the previous two world championships.

At the age of 41 years, two months, and eight days, the Ferrari driver has also climbed to 22nd place in the all-time ranking of the oldest podium finishers in Formula 1. If we exclude American drivers who competed in the 1950s Indianapolis 500 races—events that featured limited participation from European teams—Lewis Hamilton would effectively move up to 19th place in this classification.