There was a time when it was not unusual to see the odd 50-year-old driver on the grand prix grid. A time when drivers in their late 30s or even 40s won world championships.
But today, any driver over 30 risks being perceived as having one foot in the retirement grave. This reflects the trend across many sports of top-level athletes getting younger.
The Formula 1 grid has, quite literally, never been younger than during the 2014 season, with the season-opening Australian Grand Prix the only race in F1's history that has featured an average age of starters below the 27 mark.