Paris (AFP)

Fernando Alonso dreams at 38 years of finding the wheel of a Formula 1 and could be one of the major players in the transfer market for 2021 with several options, including a possible return to Renault.

"From a physical point of view and in terms of motivation, I am at the top, so I would like to be able to focus on a major championship, whether it be the return to F1, the World Endurance Championship or the Indycar ", said the Spanish double world champion F1 (2005-2006) on Monday.

If he has often mentioned a return since his departure at the end of the 2018 season, his declarations come in the middle of a transfer waltz with the departure of German Sebastian Vettel from Ferrari, replaced by Spanish Carlos Sainz Jr, him - even replaced at McLaren by the Australian Daniel Ricciardo who, suddenly, released a steering wheel at Renault.

Alonso and Renault is not only a rhyme but also a long story. It was with the diamond team that he won his two titles before coming back from 2008 to 2009 after a tumultuous year at McLaren alongside a Lewis Hamilton who was still a beginner but who had shaken up his senior quite a bit.

The native of Asturias then spent five years at Ferrari, then another four at McLaren without conquering a new title when he is generally believed to be one of the best drivers of his generation.

- A generation that has aged -

A generation that has aged. Soon in his forties, Fernando Alonso could find himself on the grid with pilots of some 15 years his cadets like the Dutchman Max Verstappen (Red Bull), the Ferrari duo made up of Monegasque Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz Jr, without forgetting the French Esteban Ocon at Renault.

The dean of the grid is currently the Finnish Kimi Räikkönen, 40, world champion in 2007. Like Alonso, he granted himself a sabbatical from F1 at the beginning of the decade.

Six-time world champion Lewis Hamilton is only three years younger than Alonso and remains at the top of his game after 18 F1 seasons. That said, no driver over 40 has won an F1 World Championship since Australian Jack Brabham in ... 1966.

Spanish is not the only heavyweight available on the transfer market either. Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel (driving a Red Bull powered by a ... Renault) is now without a steering wheel.

If he talks about "taking time to think about what is important for my future", the German did not say that he was going to leave F1.

- Not just Renault -

But Renault, which has not managed to pick up to the top three (Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull) since its return to F1 in 2016, would offer a good deal with Alonso when the management of the French manufacturer wonders about the continuation of its sports program in the doldrums of the world automobile market.

Liberty Media, the American promoter of F1, also sees its projects seriously impacted by the coronavirus pandemic. No Grand Prix has been held since the start of the season and any recovery is still in the planning stage. A return of Alonso, a very popular pilot, would serve his interests.

Renault may also not be the only option, as Lewis Hamilton and his Finnish teammate Valtteri Bottas are at the end of their contract with Mercedes.

The owner of the German team, Toto Wolff, said on Austrian television about Vettel that a German driver in a German car "would be a good story on the marketing side". He hastened to add that he was in no hurry to announce his pilots for 2021 when the current season has not even started yet.

In the meantime, Fernando Alonso can focus on his other objective, winning the 500 miles of Indianapolis, postponed to August due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A victory on the legendary American oval circuit would see him gird the "triple crown", at least one title of the world champion, a victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans - which he won twice - and "Indy". Only the Briton Graham Hill succeeded.

© 2020 AFP