Former F1 driver Sebastian Vettel could make a return to F1
Sebastian Vettel, four-time F1 world champion with Red Bull, bid farewell to F1 in 2022 after 16 seasons. But his farewell might just turn out to be a simple goodbye. The former driver, who has become a farmer and fights to protect bees, has not completely left the world of motorsport.
As the Race of Champions in Sydney, in which Sebastian Vettel is participating alongside Mick Schumacher, is fast approaching, it is indeed in the world of F1 that Vettel’s news is being highlighted. In fact, F1 Insider reports that the multiple world champion would like to return to the F1 world as a driver. He claims to be in good enough shape to give the adventure another try and even attempted to apply for a seat with the Audi team. However, the team preferred to secure the services of his compatriot Nico Hülkenberg.
The discussions with Red Bull did not succeed either. Helmut Marko, the main advisor of the Austrian team and close to Sebastian Vettel with whom he won four world titles between 2010 and 2013, told F1 Insider: « Sebastian would have liked to race alongside us with Max Verstappen. But it wouldn’t have been logical, even to preserve his reputation. Max would have clearly dominated him, which would have tarnished Sebastian’s image. I couldn’t, and didn’t want to, let that happen. »
David Coulthard, former driver for Williams, McLaren-Mercedes, and Red Bull, shares the same opinion. The Scottish Formula 1 icon strongly advises Sebastian Vettel against attempting a comeback in the future. His words are straightforward: “He should draw a line and stop dreaming that he’ll be faster after a few years away. The stopwatch never lies. By the end of his stint with Aston Martin, he was no longer at his best.”
Not everything is just a matter of age.
Even though age seems to be the key point for a possible return of Vettel in the premier category of motorsport, it is worth noting that drivers like Alonso, Hamilton, and even Schumacher when he joined Mercedes are all in the same age range. In fact, Vettel is younger than them. If we look at more recent and still active F1 drivers like Hamilton and Alonso, we notice that age is not necessarily the right critique to use when discussing performance.
However, when the 2026 season begins, most drivers will be at the end of their contracts, creating a more uncertain environment where Vettel could have better opportunities.
As mentioned earlier, he is still a few years younger than Alonso and Hamilton, two drivers whose contracts run at least until the end of 2026.
Thus, if a return to F1 is a serious objective for Vettel, his chances should not be entirely dismissed.
