Sebastian Vettel knew the truth about Fernando Alonso’s first F1 retirement and his farewell message proves it

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Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso contested two of the great title battles in Formula 1’s recent history. Many neutrals will be disappointed that their rivalry didn’t last longer.

In 2010, his second year at Red Bull, Vettel was chasing the title. Alonso, already a two-time world champion, hoped to bring the trophy to his new team Ferrari.

Entering the season finale that year in Abu Dhabi, Alonso was 15 points ahead of Vettel at the top of the standings, with Red Bull’s Mark Webber between them. But the German would snatch the title after a remarkable turnaround.

The 23-year-old won the race, while Alonso and Webber could only manage seventh and eighth after becoming stuck behind the Renault of Vitaly Petrov. That was just the points swing Vettel needed.

Two years later, their fight once again went to the final race, with Webber no longer in the picture. Alonso seemed set for revenge after Vettel made contact with Williams’ Bruno Senna and spun to the back of the pack on the opening lap.

But in one of the greatest-ever F1 races, Vettel fought back to sixth place. With Alonso only second, he preserved a three-point lead at the top, and the image of the Ferrari driver staring ruefully into space in parc ferme became instantly unforgettable.

Sebastian Vettel knew Fernando Alonso would ‘come back’ to Formula 1

In 2015, Alonso and Vettel both made massive moves. The former left Ferrari to return to McLaren, who were reuniting with Honda, and the latter replaced him.

Neither driver achieved their ultimate goal, but Alonso’s gamble was an unqualified failure. He finished 17th in the championship in his first season, and never climbed higher than 10th.

At the end of 2018, Alonso seemed to lose his appetite for racing, having realised that McLaren were still years away from a recovery. He announced his retirement at the age of 37.

But Vettel, who was twice runner-up to dominant Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton during his Ferrari years, wasn’t convinced. In a farewell message posted on F1’s official YouTube channel, he indicated that he wasn’t taking Alonso’s retirement seriously.

“Goodbye Fernando,” he said. “See you when you come back.”

Fernando Alonso once lost his F1 seat – but it wasn’t because he struggled

Vettel’s instincts proved to be completely right. Alonso was only out of F1 for two years before he returned with Alpine.

In a role reversal from 2015, he then replaced Vettel at Aston Martin for the 2023 season. The four-time world champion has seemingly walked away for good, even if there has been inevitable speculation.

• READ MORE: Peter Windsor names the one reason why F1 fans can’t write off Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin

Alonso first entered F1 in 2001, six years before Vettel made his debut. His longevity is truly remarkable.

Renault withdrew Alonso from the grid for 2002 because they wanted to prepare him for the 2003 season with a testing programme. Still, he’s only missed three of the last 24 campaigns, and he stands alone as the only driver in history with 400 race starts.