The start of the 2020 Formula 1 season may not have gotten underway yet, but there is already talk of a driver change at Renault in the coming months.

Daniel Ricciardo's contract expires at the end of the current campaign, and there are no guarantees that the 30-year-old Australian will remain with the team into 2021. Renault slipped to fifth in the Constructors' Championship last year.

Indeed, Ricciardo has been heavily linked with a move to Ferrari, should Sebastien Vettel move on. If Renault are on the lookout for a new driver, Vettel could be one of the possibilities to come in as they seek to improve their fortunes on the track. He's far from the only one though, with emerging talent Christian Lundgaard also in the mix.

Abiteboul not ruling out a possible move for Vettel

Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul refused to rule out Vettel coming on board, if there was a vacancy next season.

"I don't want to say no, as he is a great driver and a great champion; we worked together on the engine part, we won together," Abiteboul told the "La Grille" programme in a recent interview.

It was a luke-warm response at best from the Frenchman, who refused to be drawn into a firm answer on the possibility of a reunion with Vettel. If there's a vacancy though, he'd surely be one of the names in contention.

Delayed season does Ricciardo no favours

The non-committal response from Renault was understandable, given the possibility that the team continue their deal with Ricciardo, although any extension would depend on an improvement in results. The Aussie driver was disappointing in 2019, failing to make a single podium in a season that included four retirements and a disqualification.

"Are we getting back a little more confident than last year? Is he also continuing to integrate better into the team? And if we feel that we have a project that can last, why not? Abiteboul told the Canal+ show.

However, opportunities for improvement may be reduced this term. The ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic has already seen Grand Prix in Bahrain, Vietnam and China postponed, pending rescheduling, while the Australian showpiece has been cancelled.

Due to the delayed season, placing bets on the F1 is also not possible. F1 betting with bet365 or any other popular sportsbook is currently on hold as the 2020 season is yet to be resumed. The organisers of the Monaco Grand Prix, scheduled for May 24th, insist that the race will go ahead as planned. If this happens, everything should go back to normal, and we should start seeing some odds for the F1 2020 season races.

One former Red Bull driver replacing another?

Vettel and Ricciardo were teammates at Red Bull in 2014, ending the season in second place. The campaign included three wins for the Australian, but they were no match for Lewis Hamilton's Mercedes as he surged to 11 victories and a second Drivers' Championship.

Vettel left the team that year, ending a six-season relationship that yielded four consecutive titles between 2010 and 2013. His subsequent move to Ferrari has yet to see the German repeat his previous success, although he did come second in the Drivers' Championship in 2017 and 2018.

Renault looking to the future to replace Ricciardo?

The Renault Sport academy could be another avenue for a replacement, should one be required. Christian Lundgaard might be the man in question. The 18-year-old Danish driver will compete in Formula 2 this season, but Abiteboul suggested that he's an option to make the step up going forward.

"We need to keep this in mind, as we created this academy in 2016 with the goal of having a driver graduate to F1 in 2021. Now 2021 is coming, we have to acknowledge it. Typically, there's Christian Lundgaard. He's an option among others."