It’s been two seasons since Sebastian Vettel left F1 and there is a void of a figure of his personality in the paddock. When the German decided to hang up his racing boots, many felt that it was too early for him to make that call. Some even hope that Vettel will someday make a comeback to the pinnacle of motorsport.
However, the four-time world champion seems to have retired for good. And even former Red Bull driver David Coulthard feels that Vettel would be “delusional” to come back. “Only if he is living in a delusional space where he thinks that having taken a couple [of] years out, he’ll be quicker”, Coulthard told YouTuber Lucas Stewart.
Coulthard does have a valid point as Vettel wasn’t really at his prime best in the second half of his career. Crashes, spins, two failed title challenges, and a whole lot of frustration at Ferrari — it completely drained him out. Perhaps it was a reason for his pace to wither away as time went by.
“The facts are that the stopwatch doesn’t lie, and he wasn’t delivering the lap times at the end of his career,” Coulthard added. Even Vettel would agree with this assessment as he couldn’t deliver the dominant performances he was known for during his Red Bull days. Still, is the door completely closed for Vettel’s F1 return?
As things stand, the answer to that would be a resounding yes. Vettel had his moments in F1, especially during his early years in the sport. He was one of those drivers who attained championship success quite early, becoming the youngest world champion back then.
Could we see Sebastian Vettel make a return to Formula 1?#F1 pic.twitter.com/LdEVI3p0AL
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The four-time world champion wanted to fight for wins and titles again when he moved to Aston Martin in 2021. As they weren’t ready, Vettel felt he reached the end of the road.
Is there any weight to Vettel’s F1 return speculations?
Vettel’s retirement announcement coincided with Audi’s official confirmation of its F1 entry. That was the primary stimulus of a possible future return for the German driver. Many believed the German carmaker could rope in Vettel as a champion driver of their country, who could contribute a lot to bolster their F1 ambitions.
However, as time passed by, these speculations went on the back burner. Even Vettel ruled out the possibility of joining Audi or returning to F1 in any capacity, let alone driving for any other team.
While he was willing to change his mind if a project really appealed to him — with immediate championship prospects — the German was rather set on his retirement call. Currently, it is only a handful of fans who speculate about Vettel’s potential F1 return.
Should Vettel return to the world of racing, or should the former F1 champion let young up-and-comers have their moment?
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Most of the F1 community knows and understands how the four-time world champion has moved on from his career at the pinnacle of motorsport. On top of that, the 37-year-old’s principles around sustainability and environmentalism don’t align with F1’s current operational model.
With increasing races on the calendar and the hectic nature of traveling around the globe, Vettel feels it won’t make sense, as he wants to spend more time with his family now. There is a possibility that the German driver could race on a part-time basis in other categories such as the World Endurance Championship (WEC), though.
Last year, Vettel tested the Porsche 963 Hypercar, which indicated his interest in returning to the tracks if he is quick enough for endurance racing. However, no other development has come out on this front.
