Former Red Bull F1 star Sebastian Vettel drops a big hint about his racing return

Sebastian Vettel has opened up about his potential return to active racing. The 38-year-old hinted at the possibility of returning to the race track in a recent interview.

The German driver, who called time on his career in Formula 1 following the conclusion of the 2022 season, has largely been involved in various activities centred around motorsport.

However, in a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, while he ruled out a possible return to Formula 1, he hinted at the possibility of returning to racing in another series.

“Formula 1 is finished for me,” Vettel explained. “At some point, the time is right to leave the field to others. You can see that with the rookies. I think it's good that a whole bunch of them have now been replaced. It's not a vote against the old guys, but for the young ones. In the past, I wasn't interested in which of the established riders no longer raced. The main thing was that I was allowed to drive.”

Stressing that the World Endurance Championship (WEC) is a more viable avenue for a return to racing, he continued:

“I don't want to rule out that something will come of it. In the past, I wasn't that interested in endurance racing from my lone-fighter perspective. I see it differently now. I find it incredibly exciting — this team structure, sharing a car, and making compromises. In addition, the WEC does not take up the entire year like Formula 1.”

Through a racing career that spanned 16 years, Sebastian Vettel clinched the Formula 1 Drivers’ Championship four times between 2010 and 2013 with Red Bull Racing. If the former F1 star eventually enters the WEC series, he would be following the path of 2009 Formula 1 champion Jenson Button, who currently races with the Jota Cadillac team in the endurance series.

Sebastian Vettel on Red Bull talks over F1 return

Sebastian Vettel earlier weighed in on the possibility of returning to Formula 1 with Red Bull Racing. The 38-year-old has been linked with a return to the Austrian outfit in an advisory role.

Vettel, who won four Drivers’ Championships with the Red Bull team, has been tipped by current Red Bull chief advisor Helmut Marko to replace him in the role following his retirement. However, the former F1 star did not dismiss the possibility of this move happening.

Speaking on the ORF podcast about a potential return to his former team, Sebastian Vettel stated:

“There have been a few headlines now. I still get on very well with Helmut, and we are also in exchange on the topic.”

He did, however, acknowledge that the conversations about his possible return are not yet concrete.

"These (talks) are not yet so intense, and in-depth, but it may be something where I can play a role, but in what form, it will show."

Currently, the Red Bull Racing outfit is undergoing a sweeping restructuring, with team principal Christian Horner and other high-profile executives recently relieved of their duties. Whether Vettel will one day replace Dr Marko at the Milton Keynes outfit remains to be seen.

Edited by Tushar Bahl