Originally Posted by
N4D13
I agree that having Alonso would be a boost for Renault and F1, but I can't really see him returning to F1. His only realistic chance to fight for wins was a very outside chance of a Ferrari seat, which we know was very unlikely. From all we know, he left because he didn't want to be racing in the midfield, and I can't see how Renault would be able to offer him any assurances that his F1 return would be any different.
He has chances of getting a competitive drive in many other series, and is a sponsor magnet, so it's not unlikely that he'd turn down a mediocre F1 seat for a contender in WEC or wherever.
Regarding Hülkenberg, I wish Renault would give him the seat. It would be pretty ironic, though, to have the French team make him the scapegoat for what was essentially a crap car, and then hire him back a year later. But I have a soft spot for the Hulk and I think that he's an underrated driver who'd give many of the top names in the sport a run for their money. Anyway, he seems like the most sensible choice for Renault now, assuming Alonso turns them down.
As for Vettel, I agree with everything that has been said so far - can't see him signing up to drive a yellow teapot. A sabbatical is looking more and more likely. Retirement, on the other hand... I get the impression that he'd eventually try a return à la Schumacher.
And something that hasn't been brought up so far - what do we know about when the Haas drivers' contracts expire? And George Russell? I wouldn't be surprised to see Russell jumping ship at some point, particularly if Williams folds, which is not completely unexpected. We haven't heard much from Grove ever since this mess broke out...