Formula 1: Sebastian Vettel is the new Fernando Alonso, and it may be worse

As far as the Formula 1 rumor mill is concerned, Sebastian Vettel is now in position to become the new Fernando Alonso, where anything goes. And it may be even worse.

We all heard the Fernando Alonso rumors that had swirled in the Formula 1 world in recent seasons, specifically after he “retired” following a four-year run with McLaren in 2018.

The two-time world champion was linked to a return to Ferrari. He was linked to a move to Mercedes. He was linked to a seat at Red Bull Racing. He was linked to a return to McLaren. These rumors each heated up individually on multiple occasions over the last few years.

Heck, they weren’t even limited to Formula 1. He had been rumored to make a move to IndyCar with McLaren or Andretti Autosport.

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He drove seven-time NASCAR Cup Series champion Jimmie Johnson’s #48 Chevrolet during a ride swap at Bahrain International Circuit. With Johnson retiring after 2020, the #48 Chevrolet is open for 2021. NASCAR even engaged him in a Twitter discussion.

We all heard them, and we thought they would never go away.

Finally and mercifully, his linkage to Renault ended up proving to be something of substance, with him now set to drive alongside Esteban Ocon at the Enstone outfit next season.

But now another driver is in a similar position.

That driver is Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel. The four-time world champion is set to be replaced at the Scuderia by McLaren’s Carlos Sainz Jr. alongside Charles Leclerc next year. Set to replace Sainz alongside Lando Norris is Daniel Ricciardo, whom Alonso is set to replace.

The rumors have already been circulating in full force.

Why? Because there is one driver who is currently competing in Formula 1 but has lost his ride for next year and has not yet found a new one, and yes, that driver is Vettel.

In other words, these rumors are only the beginning.

The 33-year-old German hasn’t said that he will retire after 2020, which will only further drive this speculation moving forward.

He has, however, said that he doesn’t see himself taking a sabbatical and then returning in 2022 (or 2023, using the Alonso model).

But also using the Alonso model, that statement screams, “I’ll be back.” Vettel himself correctly predicted Alonso’s return literally right as Alonso left Formula 1 two years ago.

Okay, so did millions of others, but that’s not the point.

We are just two races into the revamped 2020 schedule, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a team Vettel hasn’t been linked to.

You could replace the word “two” with “zero”, and that still would be the case (Hint: it was).

Obviously Ferrari are out. McLaren, which emerged as a surprise potential landing spot for him over the offseason, are also out. Renault, which emerged much like McLaren, are out.

A return to Red Bull Racing had been speculated but “shot down”. The same can be said for a move to Racing Point (set to be rebranded as Aston Martin beginning next year).

But then that rumor was suddenly back in play, before it suddenly wasn’t again.

You get the idea.

Vettel has also been linked to the Michael Schumacher model: spend several years at Ferrari and end your career driving for the German home team. Mercedes have two free seats open for next year. As far as those rumors go, don’t expect them to be put to bed until Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas officially sign contracts for 2021.

But they haven’t yet done so, so be prepared to hear about Vettel making the move to the Silver Arrows quite often, no matter how often it is “shot down”.

Alfa Romeo Racing are essentially the Ferrari “B team”, with Ferrari having the right to select one of their drivers each season.

Surely they wouldn’t select the driver who they didn’t even offer a new contract after multiple seasons full of unforced errors, right?

Haas, the other Ferrari-powered team, admitted they can’t afford Vettel. But considering the fact that he wasn’t even offered a deal by Ferrari, thus contradicting reports that he called their offer a “joke”, don’t be surprised if that rumor heats up, especially given the team’s current driver lineup.

With which teams does that leave us? Just AlphaTauri and Williams.

With the former being the Red Bull sister team, with Vettel still having a close relationship with many individuals within the organization and with literally three-quarters of the current Red Bull/AlphaTauri stable consisting of former Red Bull drivers who the team re-hired, get ready for that rumor to start to circulate.

As for Williams, we won’t even go there. A sad state of affairs would need to go down before anyone even thinks of linking the four-time world champion with the team that were just lucky not to finish any given session in 19th or 20th place last year.