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↩️ FIFA’S U-turn
Kids: The fountain of youth in F1 and NASCARIn Formula 1, a driver who turns 20 this month will come out of the summer break as the clear favorite to win the world championship. In NASCAR, a broad injection of young talent is asserting itself in the title picture.I find this fascinating. These guys have been driving civilian cars on the world’s roads for only a few years. Now here they are, throwing their weight around at the top of motorsport. How?Eight of the 22 drivers on the F1 grid are between the ages of 18 and 25. The move to get younger is a few years old now. The leader is Kimi Antonelli, who’s favored to become the youngest world champion ever, by a margin of three years. NASCAR’s youth movement is more diffuse. Already this season, a trio of drivers between 23 and 24 have won Cup Series races: Ty Gibbs, Carson Hocevar and Corey Heim, who’s now won two before even becoming a full-time Cup Series driver. Those three are forming a not-so-friendly rivalry that could be central to the sport for 10 or 20 years. There’s also 20-year-old Connor Zilisch, who’s had a challenging rookie season but is still one of the most prized young drivers to ever join the Cup Series. And more not too far behind, with the O’Reilly Auto Parts Series teeming with promising drivers in their early 20s.I won’t overstate it, because grizzled vets are still doing well in both series. Denny Hamlin (45) leads the Cup Series, and Lewis Hamilton (41) is second in F1’s championship race.
