Ferrari and Alfa Romeo
©Ferrari
While the prospect of either of their drivers contracting coronavirus is without doubt far from a welcome one, the scenario wouldn't be quite as disastrous for Ferrari as it would be for Mercedes. That's because - if we can put this delicately - they're not exactly the odds-on favourites to clinch either title in 2020, based on their long run of recent 'near misses' as well as the rather underwhelming performance of the SF1000 at pre-season testing in February. Meanwhile Sebastian Vettel has already announced that he's leaving the team at the end of 2020, making this something of a lame duck season for him., while Charles Leclerc is young enough and secure in his future at Ferrari to not worry unduly if 2020 proves to be a 'lost' season.
Of course Ferrari would still need to fill any vacant seat. Their official reserve driver is Alfa Romeo's Antonio Giovinazzi and there's no question the Italian would give his eye teeth for the chance to step up given half a chance - disappointed though he must have been to never be seriously considered as a permanent replacement for Vettel at Ferrari in 2021 before Carlos Sainz got the job. It's also not even beyond the realms of possibility that in a total emergency Kimi Raikkonen could be recalled to Maranello (again). Meanwhile the Ferrari Driver Academy offers up some talented rising young stars for the future including Giuliano Alesi, Marcus Armstrong, Enzo Fittipaldi, Callum Ilott, Robert Shwartzman, Arthur Leclerc and of course Mick Schumacher, but realistically it's too early in their careers right now and none of them have the points necessary to make them eligible for an FIA superlicence..
More likely prospects for a call-up are:
Robert Kubica
If Giovinazzi did hop on a jet to Maranello (or if either he or Raikkonen fell ill at Hinwil) then Alfa Romeo would most likely turn to its official 2020 reserve driver to stand in. That's Robert Kubica, the former Sauber and Renault driver who competed in 76 Grand Prix races including a maiden victory in Canada in 2008 before suffering life-changing injuries in a rallying accident in 2011. His return to F1 last year with Williams was little short of a miracle but sadly proved ultimately disappointing. Set to compete in DTM this year, does the 25-year-old still have what it takes, or will the team decide to look elsewhere if it comes to the crunch?
©AlfaRomeo
Pascal Wehrlein
Pascal Wehrlein is another potential candidate for Alfa Romeo - or even to join Ferrari in the event that the logistics of transferring Giovinazzi prove unexpectedly problematic. For a long time the 25-year-old German driver was a Mercedes protégé working his way through an apprenticeship with Manor and Sauber, seemingly destined for a Silver Arrows seat. But in the end there was no room for Wehrlein at Brackley and he hit the road, returning to DTM where he had won the 2015 championship, and then moving on to Formula E. After cutting his final ties with Mercedes he joined Ferrari in 2019 as F1 simulator and development driver, positioning him very nicely indeed if either Ferrari or Alfa Romeo need a safe pair of hands.
Marcus Ericsson
If Alfa Romeo still found itself short-handed in 2020, the team could always reach out to former driver Marcus Ericsson. The Swede was ousted from the team's driver line-up by Giovinazzi at the end of 2018 after 97 Grand Prix appearances, but remained on cordial terms. As their official third driver and brand ambassador last year, Ericsson dutifully dropped out of the 2019 IndyCar race at Portland in order to be on hand in Sochi when Kimi Raikkonen was doubtful for the Russian GP. He would surely be quick to answer the F1 call again if it came in 2020.
