With F1 four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel having retired from the sport in 2022, following a long and arduous tenure with Aston Martin, rumors have been flying yet again of a brief stint back on the F1 grid. Though surely having the most colorful and satisfying life two years after his exiting from F1, the thought of a return to F1 is difficult to remove from one's mind.
Life After F1: Environmental Works, SailGP, Family
Since throwing away his F1 shoes, Vettel has plunged himself into a crash program of sorts into varied activities and projects. He has very actively been involved in environmentalist projects with biodiversity and building a bee hotel at the Red Bull Ring. Besides that, with yet another competitive challenge included as a co-founder of a SailGP team, clearly, he has not lost his competitive edge.
Similarly, he has also been equally enjoying a family life in Switzerland; and on the less public side, there have been agricultural pursuits.
The Lingering Pull of Formula 1
But still, with everything else that life throws at him after F1, it still has that pull. "I am not really looking for a seat," he states in an interview for Sky F1 in April 2023 but with a glimmer of hope went on, "but if the right opportunity comes along, I wouldn't ignore it." That lends credible ballast to the rumors of a possible return. At 37, being fit and sharp, he just adds more solid fuel to the fire of gossip.
Missed Opportunities: Talks With Audi and Red Bull
His two latest trifles with giant Audi and Red Bull further aroused rumors over a return to Formula 1, two missed encounters for two entirely different reasons.
- Audi: He had talks with Andreas Seidl but opted for Nico Hülkenberg in their F1 roster.
- Red Bull: Once again, the team where he scored most of his success between 2010 and 2013 turned him down out of concern to how he would stack up against the current star in the team, Max Verstappen. Anything less would surely tarnish the legacy of this superstar with embarrassment.
Such options on the table are gradually eluding him. With every tick of the clock, as time becomes more and more of a variable for team dynamics and performance requirements in F1, landing in the top tier becomes all the more difficult.