Brundle: Alonso and Hamilton against army of youngsters, fascinating!

Alonso, at 41, and 38-year-old Hamilton are the oldest drivers on the grid amid a host of young guns that have made their way into the pinnacle of the sport, following in the footsteps of Max Verstappen who began his F1 career as a 17-year-old, as collectively the gradually squeeze out an older generation of F1 stars.

Last year, Sebastian Vettel (35) and Daniel Riccardo (33) were two of the Old Guard that found themselves without F1 drives, with three rookies stepping up to the plate at the same time. Ironically an 'oldie' also returns this year, as Nico Hulkenberg (35) makes his umpteenth comeback, this time with Haas.

Discussing Hamilton and Alonso's remarkable longevity in the top flight, ahead of the World Championship opening weekend in Bahrain, Brundle said on Sky Sports News: "Lewis can race as long as he wants to.

"Drivers don't get smashed up these days, don't get broken bones, their head knocked around too much, cars are much safer. They are physically in incredible shape, nutrition, and hydration, they are looked after well, so I think they can race on at their peak. And I think Lewis has as many more years in as he wants in his career as he wants," ventured Brundle.

The 2023 F1 World Championship season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix takes place this weekend in Sakhir, the first round of the 2023 race season; on the day, Hamilton will line-up for his 311th Grand Prix start since he made his debut in 2007, while Alonso makes his 357th start in the top flight since his rookie season back in 2001.

Asked if another year of win-less pain for Hamilton (the sport's most prolific winner) as it was in 2022 would encourage the seven-time F1 world champ to retire, Brundle predicted: "I think he'll handle it fine. What else is there to do in life?

"Both he and Alonso somehow and this is one of the things that fascinates me about 2023. You've got two of them left now, Alonso and Hamilton against this army of youngsters coming in who want glory and want the Championships... we'll see who comes out on top."

Brundle envisions Aston Martin and their 'new' Spaniard as the surprise package: "They say the Aston is really good, you know Alonso will pick it up and drag it around even faster than it really ought to be going.

"I'd like to see that... wouldn't it be great if Fernando could get a British racing green Aston Martin into the fray somewhere?

"The wise people in the Paddock are saying the Aston is looking really strong on the longer runs and that's what matters; one headline lap time is irrelevant, how the car is going 30-40 laps into the race [is important]," added Brundle, a four-decade veteran of the sport, who contested 158 Grands Prix in the eighties and nineties.