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

[Nitrodaze]

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...

Magnussen and Grojean have contract till the end of this current season [2020]. Haas has not revealed their driver lineup for the 2021 season. There are some concerns that Haas may exit F1 at the end of this season. We have not heard any chatter to the contrary at the mo.

George Russell is in the second of his three year contract with Williams. He would be out of contract at the start of the new regulation era in 2022. He is also on the shortlist for one of the Mercedes seats along with Ocon and Vettel. Chances are that there may be no change at Mercedes this season and next. Bottas has done enough to ensure he has a seat next season at least.

But crazy things do happen.