Sebastian Vettel's retirement at 32 would be an "absolute disaster", according to German motor racing legend Hans-Joachim Stuck.
The quadruple world champion has already announced his departure from Ferrari at the end of 2020, with many insiders playing down the likelihood that he will switch to Renault.
If Vettel retires, Germany will no longer be represented on the Formula 1 grid in terms of drivers or races.
When asked about Vettel's future, Stuck told Servus TV: "Ultimately, only he knows whether and how things will go on.
"But he will not sit in a second-class car - he certainly doesn't need that. Then again there are not so many options.
"Changing to Mercedes? Nobody knows what's going on there," said the 69-year-old former F1 driver and president of the Deutscher Motor Sport Bund.
"I can imagine that Vettel has really enjoyed this break at home with his family. He's not a character like Alonso who does absolutely everything.
"If Vettel doesn't see a good alternative, then I consider the chance that he will stop to be relatively high. That would be an absolute disaster," added Stuck.
