Departures by driver before 2026: Alonso undisputed king, Lindblad only rookie

There is less and less left until the start of a season which, with the upheaval of the technical regulations and the introduction of the new power units, is making fans turn up their noses. The fact remains that the engines, welcome or not, will start up for the Australian Grand Prix, the first of the twenty-four events on the calendar. In Melbourne the drivers will take to the track again to open another chapter of their F1 career, or in just one case, to participate in what will be the first race weekend in the Circus. While waiting for the red light to go out, here is the number of GPs in which all the drivers active in the world championship took part before the upcoming weekend at Albert Park.

The triple digits

He is at the top of the rankings Fernando Alonso, absolute record holder in the history of F1 with 425 starts. If we exclude the 2002, 2019 and 2020 seasons, the Spaniard has always been present from 2001 to today, appearing at the 2026 World Cup at 44 years of age. If the upcoming championship ends without any kind of stopthe Asturian would touch 450 GPs, with Abu Dhabi representing his 449th race. Further back, in second place in the all-time ranking, there is Lewis Hamilton: seven times world champion and present continuously since 2007, the British driver from Ferrari would enter the range of 400 GPs contested in his career at the end of the year, thanks to the 380 in which he has already participated. This season, only one driver could exceed 300 starts: Sergio Perez. Returning to F1 after last year’s absence (the first since 2011), the Mexican would pass from the current 281 GP at 305, in seventh position in the all-time rankings, -1 behind Jenson Button. If no obstacles arise, three riders will be able to cross the threshold of 200 GPs at the end of the championship: Lance Stroll (189), Esteban Ocon (180) and Pierre Gasly (177).

Lower numbers

Contrary to previous statistics, no other driver will be able to reach or exceed 100 career GPs at the end of the season, with Oscar Piastri coming close to the finish line with 94 starts. Note the curiosity of world champion Lando Norris, who together with George Russell shares the same number of GPs contested (152), as does Andrea Kimi Antonelli with Gabriel Bortoleto (24). The latter, unlike Jack Doohan (replaced by Colapinto at Imola last year), are +1 over another rookie from last season like Isack Hadjar, who did not start in the Australian GP due to an accident during the reconnaissance lap. Speaking of rookies, the only one among the rookies in this championship will be Arvid Lindbladobviously without any GP held.

GP for driver before the 2026 world championship