Vettel set to vroom?

Four-time F1 world champ Sebastian, who bid adieu to the sport in 2022, hints at return; in talks with Mercedes chief Wolff and others teams

Four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel has suggested he could return to Formula One following talks with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff. Mercedes are in search of a new driver after Lewis Hamilton announced in February he was leaving the team for Ferrari following 11 years with the Silver Arrows.

Vettel won his four world championship titles with Red Bull from 2010-13. He retired from Formula One at the end of the 2022 season after six years at Ferrari and two with Aston Martin. But he has now hinted at a return to Grand Prix racing following talks with Wolff and several other team bosses. “I am speaking to Toto. I don’t know if that qualifies as Mercedes, but about other things,” Vettel told Sky Sports News on Wednesday.

Primary stage

“I’m talking to a lot of people because I know them, but not very specific. I mean obviously it does cross my mind, I do think about it, but it’s not the main thought,” the 36-year-old German added. “I have three kids at home, it’s busy every day, so there’s a lot of other thoughts I have. There’s ideas that I have. Events that I’m planning going forwards, so I did speak to a lot of other team principals as well, and not only about racing. There’s thoughts, but nothing concrete at the minute.”

Toto Wolff

Vettel said he was taken aback by Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari after winning six world championships with the German giants. “I was surprised, like I guess most of us were,” he said. “But it is exciting. Obviously he’s looking for a new challenge and it will be different to see him in red, in a different colour.” 

Testing time again

Vettel, meanwhile, has been test-driving the Porsche car scheduled to compete in this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours. “Maybe, I don’t know yet,” he replied when asked if he could make his first appearance in the celebrated endurance race this year. 

“I’ve been testing. I was curious, so I wanted to see how it feels. It’s obviously a different discipline. It’s still racing, but it’s a different car, different discipline. “I am [tempted] and I’m not. I am obviously also looking for lots of other things and there’s lots of other things that do interest me outside of racing.”

Max Verstappen poised to bounce back 

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen is the hot favourite for this weekend’s Japanese GP despite failing to finish in Australia. “We knew a day like this could come at some point,” Verstappen said of his premature Melbourne exit. “So we need to be proud that we have had a great run with nine races [wins] in a row and we can come back stronger for Suzuka.”

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