The successes
The first driver in Red Bull’s history to win a world title, claiming four consecutive championships from 2010 to 2013, Sebastian Vettel came close to returning to the top with Ferrari on two other occasions. After finishing behind Daniel Ricciardo at Red Bull in 2014, the German decided to move to Maranello the following year, finishing as runner-up in 2017 and 2018 but failing to end Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton’s dominance.
The decline and retirement
From there, the German experienced a drop in performance and results, spending the final two years of his career (2021 and 2022) with Aston Martin. Since his decision to hang up his helmet, a return to F1 for the 37-year-old has never seemed likely, although recently, rumors about a potential comeback have resurfaced.
The speculation
These rumors stem from Sebastian Vettel’s own comments last year on *Radio X*: “It could be tempting and interesting, but it really depends on the full package because it’s a huge commitment, with everything that happens outside of driving as well,” he said. “I’ve spoken with others because I still keep in touch from time to time. I have some projects and ideas with F1, and we’ll see if they materialize or not. It’s something to seriously consider—it would depend a lot on the package. From an age perspective, I feel damn young.” – he pointed out.
David Coulthard’s opinion
A highly unlikely option, but not impossible. However, regarding this potential return, another former driver strongly advised Vettel against considering an F1 comeback: David Coulthard. Speaking with Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel, the Scot was very clear about Vettel’s chances in the sport: “No! Only if he’s living in an illusion, thinking that after a couple of years away, he could be faster. But the reality is that the stopwatch doesn’t lie, and at the end of his career, he wasn’t setting the lap times needed to be competitive.”
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