Adrian Newey Shuts Down Sebastian Vettel’s Comeback Rumors: “He’s Moved on And Enjoying Life”

Adrian Newey Shuts Down Sebastian Vettel's Comeback Rumors: "He's Moved on And Enjoying Life"

Sebastian Vettel retired from F1 after the 2022 season, but rumors of a comeback have persisted in the paddock. However, Adrian Newey believes Vettel’s return to the sport is unlikely.

Vettel has been strongly linked to a move to Sauber/Audi next year, with rumors gaining traction after the new boss of the Hinwil-based team, Mattia Binotto, hinted that the 37-year-old is on his radar as a potential option for 2025.

This potential move would carry strong commercial appeal, as Audi—a German company—would likely favor having two top German drivers, with Nico Hulkenberg already confirmed. However, Adrian Newey remains skeptical that Vettel will reconsider his decision to retire from racing.

On the High-Performance Podcast, Newey explained, “I don’t know. I can’t see that. He’s enjoying his life. He’s moved on, and doing different things… Fair play to him.”

Vettel’s decision to leave F1 came after an underwhelming stint at Aston Martin. The four-time world champion joined the Silverstone-based team in 2021, securing their first podium in Baku that year.

However, things didn’t get much better. With a desire to spend more time with his family, Vettel chose to step away. Despite this, he has frequently expressed how much he misses F1 and the thrill of competition since his retirement.

Newey—Aston Martin’s new Managing Technical Partner—has dismissed chances of Vettel coming back. However, the German driver himself kept that door wide open. Earlier this year, Sky Sports quoted him as saying, “I retired from Formula 1 not to come back, but I also did say that you never know. So I think it still stands.”

When asked what might bring him out of retirement, Vettel responded, “I think it depends on the package.” With Audi entering the sport as a works team, Vettel could be tempted to make a comeback, especially with the 2026 regulations placing significant emphasis on the power unit, which could play to his strengths.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Adrian Newey Audi Mattia Binotto Sebastian Vettel

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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