Vettel to leave Ferrari at the end of the season - where to next?

[Nitrodaze]

Although Renault now, with Ricciardo & Norris confirmed at McLaren, seems to be the only halfway competitive seat available, IMO Vettel would be crazy to take it. Renault haven't been getting their shit together for quite a while now, neither in the engine nor the chassis department. Their performance last year was absolutely dismal, in spite of two very talented drivers. In addition, Seb would have to face French favourite Ocon as a team-mate. This would be a repeat of the situation at Ferrari last year, maybe worse, as Ocon does have a history of feuding with his team-mate.
About the only thing that speaks for Renault is that Vettel scored all of his championships powered by engines from Viry-Châtillon

The wise old head of Brundle got this one right; Sainz to Ferrari and Ricciado to Mclaren. It would seem Vettel is on his way out of F1. That said, Mercedes is yet to conclude their lineup for the 2021 season. Maybe there might be a change in the Mercedes lineup. Vettel might be too expensive for the Mclaren purse, Mercedes can surely afford him. But i doubt they would want to carry the cost of two heavy weight drivers with all the budget restrictions coming in soon.

Therefore Vettel to Renault seems to be the only real option for Vettel now or early retirement.

I would not write off Renault as a championship contender in the new era starting 2022. They look unattractive at this moment but may be a different proposition in 2022. As a works team, it might be a great new home for Vettel to rebuild a team around himself and take the fight to competition. He would be doing essentially the same as Hamilton, but we said that for Ricciado and look how that turned out.

There is also the question of whether Renault can afford Vettel? Is Renault going to be around in 2022 you might also ask?