After denying a return to racing for a year or so, there has been a change of tone from Sebastian Vettel. As more time has passed since his retirement at the end of 2022, the four-time champion has become more open to a return to F1. Naturally, the timing of the change of heart and rumors of his F1 return coincide with Lewis Hamilton’s blockbuster move to Ferrari in 2025. As a result, reports have connected Vettel to Mercedes as a potential option to replace the Ferrari-bound seven-time champion. However, Toto Wolff feels that the ball is in the German’s court to make up his mind on his F1 return.
“I think Sebastian [Vettel] still has to make up his own mind about whether he even wants to come back. We will definitely talk, but we do that anyway. Even if there is only a small chance, we will still try to have an active discussion”, Wolff told ORF, as quoted by Junaid on X (formerly Twitter).
Vettel also spoke to Sky Sports F1 lately and revealed how he has been in conversation with the Mercedes boss. However, the scope of discussion was mainly about the current happenings, including Hamilton’s move to Ferrari, and not an active discussion about his willingness to join Mercedes.
Given that Mercedes is a German brand, it does check out one alluring factor for the 36-year-old, if he makes his mind up to return to the sport. Previously, reports have connected him to make a grand F1 return with Audi, which joins the grid in 2026.
However, with the Brackley outfit having a vacancy now, it would be quite difficult for the four-time champion to not think about it at all. At the age of 36, Vettel can still find the motivation to come back and fight for wins, if Mercedes can provide him a car capable of doing so.
What else is Sebastian Vettel planning to do besides F1?
Currently, Sebastian Vettel is perhaps on an exploratory mission to look at options for a possible racing return. While there is a decent chance of Mercedes offering him Lewis Hamilton’s seat, the German driver is also looking at options besides F1.
Vettel participated in a test with Porsche Penske’s WEC team and drove their Hypercar just a couple of weeks ago. After this test, he cited how it was a lot of fun to get behind the wheel of an Endurance car. However, many suggest that this test meant much more than an exhibition run for the four-time champion.
There are speculations that Vettel wishes to participate and race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Whether that happens this year or in 2025 remains to be seen. But, if Porsche can provide Vettel with a decent offer to race for their Hypercar team, it could be quite the grand return to motorsport.
