Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis, 2002. Photo by Rick Dikeman (CC BY-SA 3.0). (Credit links at the end of the content)
We continue our journey with Part 2, focusing on drivers who almost returned to F1 in the 1990s and 2000s. Part 1 covered the 1980s, while Part 3 will take us further back, exploring stories from the 1950s to the 1970s.
INTRO: We focus only on the biggest names — drivers like legends, James Hunt, Schumacher, or Mansell. This isn’t about lesser-known drivers who were close to joining F1 or only tested briefly, but about the stars who came close to making a real comeback.
F1 Comebacks That Never Happened
F1 has a habit of pulling drivers back in, even after they’ve walked away. I was genuinely surprised when I first learned about James Hunt testing again in 1989 — a real chance of a comeback after 10 years away. Then there’s the idea of Ferrari offering Alain Prost a return in 1996 alongside Michael Schumacher. Stories like these are fascinating, and they’re exactly why we keep digging into the past, to bring these moments back to life for fans to enjoy.
However, the 1990s and early 2000s were full of those quiet moments, test days, phone calls, near-deals, where comeback felt real for a split second, and then disappeared just as quickly.
These weren’t fairytale returns, they were the ones that stopped just short!
Nigel Mansell – Close Enough to Believe Again
The British legend is one of those drivers who almost returned to F1 in 1997, after retiring at McLaren in 1995.
By the time 1997 came around, Nigel Mansell had already done it all; world champion, rivalry… his time in F1 should have been over!
And yet, there he was again. a winter test with Jordan in late 1996, not just a symbolic run either, Mansell was quick, close to young Ralf Schumacher, who was about to begin his own F1 journey.
For a moment, it felt possible; according to reports even Mansell admitted there was a real chance, but then reality stepped in.
Reports suggest that salary demands, doubts about committing to a full season, small details that quietly ends the dreams, and just like that, the comeback faded.
Michael Schumacher 2009 Ferrari Return
In 2009, after Felipe Massa suffered a serious accident, Ferrari needed someone to step in!
The call went to Michael Schumacher; reports suggest that he said yes, and tests were completed, preparations were underway.
The idea of Schumacher returning in red again, even temporarily, felt like the sport folding back on itself.
But it didn’t work out, a lingering neck injury, picked up in a motorcycle crash, made it impossible, he pulled out before the comeback could happen.
But he felt deep inside that he wants to race again, he shocked the sport; Michael Schumacher would return a year later with Mercedes in 2010, where he spent three seasons.
Valentino Rossi F1 Ferrari Test
It sounds like fantasy; but it was very real, Valentino Rossi, at the peak of his MotoGP dominance, came close to leaving two wheels behind for F1.
Multiple tests with Ferrari, serious discussions, real pace, and during one test, he was just about a second off Michael Schumacher.
Not perfect at the time, but close enough to raise eyebrows inside the paddock, Ferrari had a plan, but it wasn’t immediate.
Rossi would have to ease in, a slower team, maybe a testing role first, that was the turning point.
He chose to stay where he was already a legend, and F1 lost one of its most fascinating ‘What if’ stories.
Jean Alesi – Still Fast, But Out of Time
When Jean Alesi stepped away at the end of 2001; it felt like a natural goodbye at Suzuka. But months later, he was back behind the wheel.
McLaren brought him in for tire development tests; lap after lap, no pressure, no spotlight, just Alesi doing what he always did best.
There are rumours on social media, there were conversations about something more permanent, a testing role, maybe more, but nothing ever materialized.
Just another quiet ending for the French driver.
Damon Hill – The Feeling That Came Back
Retirement doesn’t always settle immediately; for Damon Hill, it didn’t
According to reports, in 2000 he wanted to buy the Minardi team, but the deal stalled.
There are rumours that Damon Hill visited Jaguar at the British GP, some doubt that he was there as an option to replace Johny Herbert who was struggling at the time; but we don’t truly know if he was planning to come back to racing again.
However, he admitted, like he felt ready again, but Hill stayed retired.
Tested other cars later, considered different series, but F1 remained untouched, a comeback that existed only in that brief window of possibility.
Hill’s F1 story: The Real Reason Damon Hill Didn’t Reach F1 Until 31
Jacques Villeneuve – A Comeback Without a Grid
By 2010, Jacques Villeneuve had been away from F1 for years, but he hadn’t let go.
There were two teams interested in him, both new teams, Stefan GP and USF1 team, both failed to enter the grid in 2010.
Villeneuve dream was over, no approval, no debut, no comeback, yes he was ready but F1 wasn’t!
Juan Pablo Montoya – The Calls He Ignored
Some drivers chase a return, others, walk away on their own terms.
Juan Pablo Montoya had opportunities, real ones, after leaving F1 in 2006, the phone still rang.
Even Bernie Ecclestone tried to convince him to bring back in Europe. According to reports Torro Rosso showed interest first, then Frank Williams reached out, and Toyota later.
But Montoya wasn’t interested, he had moved on, different challenges, different world, and unlike others on this list, his ‘almost’ wasn’t about something slipping away, it was about choosing not to return.
The Comebacks That Stayed in the Past
The 90s and 2000s gave us a different kind of “almost.” Less about unfinished business, more about timing, choices, and reality catching up.
Some were one test away, some were one contract away, some simply said no, but every one of these stories leaves that same lingering question behind: What if they had come back?
Seeing Schumacher in a Ferrari again in 2009, or Montoya at Toyota, history would have been different.
IF YOU WANT MORE….
PART 1: F1 Drivers Who Nearly Came Back in the 1980s
PART 3: The F1 Drivers Fans Thought Would Come Back
FEATURED IMAGE CREDITS: Juan Pablo Montoya at Indianapolis, 2002. Photo by Rick Dikeman (CC BY-SA 3.0) via Wikimedia Commons
