F1 Ferrari rumor mill includes Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso, as silly season talk starts early. Merecedes' runaway season gives media time to daydream about 2020 prospects.

After just six races from the 2019 Formula One season it seems unlikely that the outcome of the championship will bring any huge surprises so it is not at all surprising that the driver silly season and the season of unnamed sources giving insiders something to write about is ready for takeoff, somewhat earlier than usual. The most explosive rumor coming out of Europe is that four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel, under huge pressure at Ferrari this year, could be contemplating retirement at the end of the season.

In Monaco, Sebastian Vettel admitted his role in Ferrari’s issues: “Well, I’m part of the team, so I don’t put myself above,” said Vettel, 31. “I’ve had some difficult moments this year where I’m fighting the car, but I think it’s linked to the fact that we struggle to put our car in the right window.”

If he does retire, the seat alongside Charles Leclerc would presumably be filled by a driver like Valtteri Bottas, Nico Hulkenberg, Kevin Magnussen or Sergio Perez. Even Fernando Alonso is also being tossed into the discussion for a possible return to Scuderia Ferrari, especially taking into consideration the fact that the Maranello team’s management has changed since he fell out with the Italian side back in 2014.

Interestingly, there are also rumors that Hulkenberg, who currently drives for struggling Renault, opened talks with Red Bull in Monaco. It has been said he might replace Pierre Gasly, but another rumor is that if a seat at Mercedes opens up — say Lewis Hamilton retires — Max Verstappen could head to the silver team.

“In 2014, the rift between Ferrari and Fernando Alonso had a domino effect on Red Bull, who then lost Vettel,” an unnamed team source told Italian media outlet Sky Italia. “Let’s say Hamilton or Sebastian decide to stop, which is admittedly unlikely, then teams like Ferrari or Mercedes must have a plan B at the ready.So we’ve heard rumors of something existing between Verstappen and Mercedes, as well as between Daniel Ricciardo and Ferrari. And what happens if Red Bull finds itself without Verstappen? In Monaco, I understand that they checked in with Nico Hulkenberg,” the source added.