List of Icons

I guess the Icons vary every year depending on the permissions and licenses regarding them. I'm thinking of ROSBERG, VETTEL, RAIKKONEN who are in high demand but are not part of the game. I think there is a valid reason for that.

Mansell not being in the game is a outrage.  😁  He's also my favourite all time driver.    YouTubers who are part of the EA creator network.  Who went to play the game and spoke with the devs have suggested the lack of icons is because they paid Hamilton a huge chunk of change for him to be on the cover. Ment they may of not had enough cash left over to pay what drivers like Mansell were asking.   

Chadwick has gone (I think) which is surprising as I thought they'd be all up in the hype-train for an all-female team with her and the Braking Point Callie girl.

Montoya is also vamos'd, but I originally thought that was because there'd be another Montoya coming along in the F3 icons... but alas, it was not to be! 

Coulthard back is a little surprise.   I still have a very haunting picture somewhere of his grin after winning a race. 

My question about the Icons would be about retirement and growth. The 'real' drivers age out and they retire so historically you'd have drivers like Bottas, Ricciardo, Kimi, etc who would leave and could no longer be hired in their late 30's.  Some of these icons are alot older than that... (or Senna).    Will they go on forever or give up after a season?  Do they grow, or do they decline like a stone?  I expect their stats are frozen but i've never used them historically.    I assumed that as previously they were player-exclusive that they'd always be available regardless, but this feels like a moving of the goalposts.   Surely every team would hire an icon due to their high-stats rather than an F2-standard or F3-standard (or F4-standard if you're Zagazeta) driver with their puny stats. 

I did hear rumours more would be coming to the F3 list in time.... but I don't believe that for a hot-diggity-darn second.   But I do get to see Brad Pitt on the grid... so there is that. 

Even last year in My Team retirements were rare for me. Hamilton and Alonso held on for a very long time if I recall, icons probably will make it worse. 

In F1 22, Alonso went all the way to season 10 with some absolutely dreadful stats.  Getting shown up by his McLaren teammate Lundgaard in the only teammate whitewash in Season 9 was a personal lowlight. 

I've unfortunately not played the last game or two to that distance to know whom would still be lingering but last years, nobody retired at the end of season 1. Perez and Bottas retired at the end of season 2. End of Season 3 had Magnussen retiring. Season 4's ending had Hulkenberg retiring. Nobody retired at the end of season 5. So I have the same Lewis/Alonso lingering that you did.