Alonso warns Vettel to not ‘underestimate challenge’ of F1 comeback

Vettel recently revealed to Sky that he “can’t exclude” returning to F1 in the future. 

He told Martin Brundle: “I can't say no, because that you don't know. 

“I think it's something that if you asked all of them, probably some of them would have said 'no'. 

“And some of them I don't know, but in the end all of them came back, so I can't exclude it.”

The four-time world champion called time on his F1 career at the end of 2022, paving the way for Alonso to take his place at Aston Martin.

If Vettel returned to the grid, he’d be the third-oldest driver, behind Alonso (42) and Lewis Hamilton (38).

Alonso made a comeback of his own, returning with Alpine after two seasons away.

Ahead of this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix, Alonso was asked about Vettel’s comments and the prospect of his former title rival rejoining the grid.

“I was not in the interview or in the conversation,” he said. “So sometimes we read the headline and you don't know exactly what it comes from and what is the tone of the answers. 

“So it's up to him obviously if he thinks about it as I said, I think when Daniel came back, it is a challenge. It cannot be underestimated, going back to F1. 

“It could be a challenge for sure.”