Michael Schumacher struggled to make an impact upon his return to Formula 1 with Mercedes because he "let the old man in", according to one of his former rivals.
In the eyes of many fans he remains the greatest driver ever to grace the F1 grid. He enjoyed early success with Benetton where he won back-to-back titles, before leaving for Ferrari where he dominated the championship by winning a further five in a row.
Schumacher retired from the sport at the end of 2006 and spent three years on the sidelines, during which time he injured himself in a motorcycle accident. But he returned to the grid in 2010 and spent three more seasons racing in F1 as he helped to establish the Mercedes name.
However, he did not enjoy nearly as much success as he had previously and only managed the one podium during that period. In comparison, Fernando Alonso is approaching his 42nd birthday and is enjoying a remarkable renaissance in his own F1 career.
The Spaniard also spent some time away from the sport but returned in 2021 with Alpine. He spent two years in the team during which he showed flashes of his brilliance without truly setting the world ablaze, but that has now well and truly happened with Aston Martin.
A couple of months shy of his 42nd birthday, Alonso already has four podiums to his name out of five races this season. Comparing the two, David Coulthard suggested Alonso was better placed for his F1 return because he kept racing all the time he was away.
"He did IndyCar, Dakar and he's got a kart track," said the Scot on his Formula for Success podcast. "So, he was uninterrupted being in the mode of being a racing driver and all of the things that keep you sharp in your mind.
"You often use the expression 'don't let the old man in'. If you let the old man or the old woman in, that ultimately is what you end up becoming. But if you fight against that you keep a young spirit for as long as nature will allow.
"So I think in comparison to Michael, who stopped and no longer was racing, and then went and played in motorbikes and then had a crash and broke a vertebra. When he came back to Formula 1 was it three years after he'd originally left.
"He could still go through the motions. He was still, an incredible individual, but he just wasn't as good as he had been before because he was in his 40s and the clock had moved. So I think the uninterrupted nature of Fernando's time away from Formula 1 has really helped."
