Lewis Hamilton becomes F1's oldest winner since Nigel Mansell
Lewis Hamilton's victory at the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix, aged 41, made him the first driver over 40 to win a Formula 1 race since Nigel Mansell in 1994. It ranks as the seventh-oldest Grand Prix win in F1 history, on a list headed by Luigi Fagioli, who won the 1951 French Grand Prix at 53.
A 32-year wait for an over-40 winner
Lewis Hamilton, born in January 1985, won the 2026 Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona aged 41, becoming the first driver over the age of 40 to win a Formula 1 race since Nigel Mansell took the 1994 Australian Grand Prix.[2] Mansell's win had itself been the first by an over-40 driver since Jack Brabham in 1970, so the gap Hamilton has now closed stretched across three full decades.[2]
Where the win ranks
Formula 1's official tally places Hamilton seventh on the all-time list of oldest Grand Prix winners, at 41 years and around five months.[1] The oldest of all remains Luigi Fagioli, winner of the 1951 French Grand Prix at Reims aged 53, ahead of Giuseppe Farina, Juan Manuel Fangio, Piero Taruffi and Jack Brabham.[1] Hamilton now sits just above Mansell, who won the 1994 Australian Grand Prix at 41 years and three months.[1]
:::analysis The number that stands out is 32, the years between Mansell and Hamilton without an over-40 winner. Modern Formula 1's physical demands and the steady youth movement on the grid have made veteran victories vanishingly rare, which is exactly what gives a 41-year-old beating a field of drivers half his age its weight.
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Related reading
- [1]The top 10 oldest F1 Grand Prix winners and where Hamilton ranks (Formula1.com) (formula1). Accessed 2026-06-19.
- [2]1994 Australian Grand Prix (Wikipedia) (wikipedia-en). Accessed 2026-06-19.