Formula 1: Is a Fernando Alonso return to Ferrari in 2020 far-fetched?

Fernando Alonso retired from Formula 1 after the 2018 season, but is him returning to the sport to drive for Ferrari far-fetched?

Two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso retired from Formula 1 after the 2018 season concluded, but he left the door open to the possibility of returning to the sport if the right opportunity arises.

After spending the final four seasons of his career driving for a struggling McLaren team, Alonso shifted his focus to becoming the second driver to win all three races of the Triple Crown of Motorsport, the Monaco Grand Prix, the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Indianapolis 500.

Alonso won the Monaco Grand Prix in 2006 and 2007 before winning last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, but driving for McLaren, he dramatically failed to qualify for this year’s running of the Indy 500, which would have marked his second career start in the race and his first since 2017.

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While Alonso has stated that he still may return to Indianapolis Motor Speedway to attempt to compete in the “Greatest Spectacle in Racing” once again, another attempt in this race may have to be put on hold for him, as rumors have recently emerged that he may return to Formula 1 as early as next season.

Four-time Formula 1 champion Sebastian Vettel is reportedly considering retirement from Formula 1 after the 2019 season concludes despite the fact that he signed a three-year contract extension in August of 2017 to continue driving for Scuderia Ferrari through the 2020 season, which would be his sixth season driving for the team.

Here is what Alonso had to say about the possibility of returning to Formula 1 in the 2020 season, according to Express.

"“As I said last year, and in Barcelona [testing] as well, my idea is not to come back. When I said ‘bye-bye’ last year it was because I felt this chapter was already complete.“I achieved a lot more in F1 than I dreamed of and I had great opportunities outside F1 to do something unprecedented. That’s why I took the decision. So coming back is not in the plan. If something happened and a great opportunity arrives, I probably will consider [it]. I don’t close doors 100 per cent to anything in the future.”"

If an opportunity arrives for the 37-year-old Spaniard to return to Ferrari, would that qualify as a “great opportunity”?

I don’t think that question needs to be answered for the answer to be known.

Alonso, who is reportedly a big fan of new Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto, drove for the Maranello-based team from the 2010 season through the 2014 season before signing with McLaren, and he won 11 races during this time. Additionally, he finished in second place in the driver standings in the 2010 season, the 2012 season and the 2013 season.

Vettel, while he certainly isn’t as old as Alonso at the age of 31, is under contract with the Scuderia through the 2020 season, so Ferrari will be in a position where they need to decide who they want to be Charles Leclerc’s future teammate after the 2020 season anyway.

If the 31-year-old German retires after the 2019 season, Ferrari could essentially use that extra 2020 season to their advantage when it comes to making their decision for beyond the 2020 season, a decision that they would have to make anyway.

A one-year contract for Alonso for Ferrari to see what he is still capable of could be a great opportunity for both sides, and they would still end up being in the same position that they would have been in with Vettel if he returns for the 2020 season. They could opt to re-sign Alonso, or they could sign somebody else.

There are certainly plenty of potential candidates, including many younger drivers, who would be in the running to replace Vettel after the 2020 season or even after the 2019 season. Among those drivers are Valtteri Bottas, Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen and Sergio Perez.

But suffice it to say that none of these drivers are as good or as proven as Alonso is. Additionally, none of them stand out as drivers who Ferrari would absolutely have to sign to the point where if they don’t, they would run the risk of a rival team signing them to a long-term contract and the Italian team will never, ever be able to put them in one of the red cars again.

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Will Fernando Alonso come out of retirement to drive for Ferrari in the 2020 Formula 1 season if Sebastian Vettel retires after the 2019 season, or are these rumors too far-fetched? It isn’t likely, but with all things considered, to classify it as being far-fetched may in itself be a bit too far-fetched.

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