If the transition between the previous and current F1 seasons was a little dull in terms of the driver market, then developments ahead of the 2025 season more than make up for it. First came Lewis Hamilton’s announcement that he’d be leaving the Mercedes team that he’s raced with for 12 years to go to Ferrari next year.
Then came the discontent within Red Bull, leading to persistent (if fairly unlikely) rumours that Max Verstappen could be eyeing an exit, despite his domination of the sport with the team for the last few years.
Vettel won four World Drivers’ Championships with Red Bull between 2010…
Now, the rumour mill is being turned even faster, as Sebastian Vettel, who won four straight World Drivers’ Championships with Red Bull between 2010 and 2013, has announced he’s considering a return to the sport – if the right drive is available.
Vettel retired from F1 at the end of the 2022 season, seeing out his 14 years in the sport with a stint at the Aston Martin squad. At the time, in an emotional video posted to social media, the German driver said he’d be focusing on spending time with his family and on his environmental activism.
After a relatively quiet 2023, he recently tested the Porsche 963 LMDh car, sparking rumours of a possible 24 Hours of Le Mans drive, or even a full World Endurance Championship programme.
His latest comments, however, are arguably even bigger. Appearing on Radio X, Vettel was asked if he could make an F1 return if the right car was available. “I’m following the sport, I see what’s going on, and it might be appealing and interesting,” he replied. “But it really depends on the full package.”
“From an age point of view, I feel bloody young,” continued the 36-year-old, “with all the guys I raced with still hanging around and signing big contracts… I could have another 10 years in the sport.”
Toto Wolff and Sebastian Vettel
The big question is which team could offer that package. It’s unknown at this point who’ll fill Lewis Hamilton’s vacant Mercedes seat when he departs for Ferrari after this season. Current rumours variously link Ferrari’s Carlos Sainz, Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso, Mercedes junior Kimi Antonelli and even Max Verstappen with the seat.
Speaking to Sky Sports, though, Vettel confirmed he’d had conversations with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, although “not really about the seat.”
All of this should be taken with a massive pinch of salt for now, especially as Vettel has acknowledged that it would be difficult for both him and his family to go back to the gruelling schedule of being away from home that an F1 seat requires. Clearly, though, between this and the Porsche LMDh test, a return to racing in some capacity is clearly on his mind.
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