According to Helmut Marko, Sebastian Vettel enquired “again and again” about rejoining his previous team Red Bull. The advisor stated that while the German won four Drivers’ Championship titles with the Milton Keynes-based team, a matchup with Max Verstappen in 2025 “wouldn’t be pleasant.”
Regarding Vettel’s possible comeback, Marko told Formel1.de: “He also asked us again and again.” However, I don’t think that would be a fun time for him in comparison to Verstappen.
In 2022, Vettel announced his retirement from Formula One after a disappointing two-year tenure with Aston Martin. At the time, he gave two reasons for quitting motorsport: he wanted to spend more time with his family and the appeal of environmental efforts outside of the sport.
However, after 18 months out of the spotlight, Vettel is considering a return to the grid. Asked by Sky Sports whether or not he was a factor in the 2025 driver market, he said: “Well potentially I am because I haven’t got a drive, but the question is, am I looking for one? I think it depends on the package.
“I retired from Formula One not to come back but I did say ‘you never know,’ so… I think it still stands. Obviously, there are some things that I miss, which are mostly the competition, and things that I don’t miss.
“That hasn’t changed; life is very different if you’re not in Formula One, and I still enjoy that and keep trying new things,” the speaker said. He subsequently stated: “You never know where life is taking you, so maybe it takes me back behind the wheel, maybe it doesn’t.”
Vettel’s transfer to Mercedes has also been mentioned. The 36-year-old was mentioned as a possible short-term possibility for Toto Wolff as the head of the Silver Arrows looks for someone to take Lewis Hamilton’s place at Ferrari. But this door also seems closed, with Max Verstappen and Kimi Antonelli leading the race for that place.
Vettel’s most likely route back to the driver’s seat will probably involve endurance racing rather than Formula One. Earlier this year, he finished a testing program with the Porsche 963 Hypercar project and indicated interest in competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the German automaker.
Porsche ultimately decided not to include Vettel in their 2024 lineup due to experience, choosing instead to field Mathieu Jaminet, Nick Tandy, and Felipe Nasr. Nevertheless, the four-time world champion’s World Endurance Championship run is probably not over.
Leave a Reply