Quote Originally Posted by Nitrodaze View Post
Alonso would have to accept a significant pay cut for a seat at Renault. I wonder if his ego would allow him to accept that. He is desperate enough to accept a pay cut, so why not. But if not, then Renault's alternative would have to be either Hulkenburg or someone from their driver academy. Or a money bag driver.

You ask why would they want him, well he has more experience than a rookie and is still a good fit for Renault at this stage of their development. They are not contesting for championship anytime soon. So why not a development driver like Hulkenburg. That said, l hope they sign Alonso. His presence in the paddock is always a wellcomed experience.
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...