Formula 1 history has seen many great comebacks. The first, in chronological order, was Prost, who returned to competition with Williams in 1993 after a sabbatical year, winning his final world title. After him came Schumacher, who, following his split with Ferrari, returned to the grid with Mercedes. Most recently, Fernando Alonso made his return. But among the other champions, Vettel’s name has also been mentioned. Here’s what prevented the German from making a comeback in F1.
He was undoubtedly one of the most beloved drivers in the top category of motorsport. After dominating with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013, he won over the hearts of Italian fans with his move to Ferrari. Unfortunately, things turned out quite differently there. He never finished higher than second place in the final championship standings. The lowest point came in 2020 when he ended up in 13th place.
Following that disappointment, he left Maranello and moved to England to race for Aston Martin. Dressed in green, despite the car’s limitations, he still managed to achieve some notable results. At the 2021 Baku GP, he secured an incredible second place, a feat he repeated in Hungary, though he was later disqualified.
His final year coincided with the introduction of the new regulations. In 2022, his car was far from competitive, with his best finish being sixth place in Baku. He concluded his career in 12th place overall.
However, rumors of a potential and astonishing return to racing have been circulating for some time. One of the most frequently mentioned connections was between Vettel and the Audi project, set to debut in 2026. According to reports, former Audi boss Andreas Seidl had discussions with the four-time world champion before ultimately choosing Carlos Sainz. He was unaware at the time that the ex-Ferrari driver would later favor a move to Williams.
But there’s more. It appears that Vettel also spoke with another team—one of his former teams: Red Bull. Here’s what Marko told F1-Insider: “Sebastian wanted to race alongside Max Verstappen with us. But that wouldn’t have made any sense, not even to protect him. Max would have clearly beaten him, and it would have damaged Sebastian’s reputation. I couldn’t and didn’t want to let that happen.”
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