Sebastian Vettel unable to rule out an F1 return in 2024: ‘Very difficult to know what will happen,’

Sebastian Vettel, who insists he does not regret leaving Aston Martin just before they became competitive, is finding it hard to rule an F1 return in 2024.

Sebastian Vettel unable to rule out an F1 return in 2024: ‘Very difficult to know what will happen,’

Sebastian Vettel

Sebastian Vettel ‘retired’ from Formula 1 at the end of last season. Considering he is a four-time world champion, the last few years hadn’t been particularly good for him. But he also wanted to spend more time with his family, which played a large part in his decision. He has certainly been doing that – he recently took a trip to Scandinavia with his family, as his father, Norbert, always wanted to see the Northern Lights. But rather curiously, he has refused to rule out a return to F1.

After Lance Stroll was injured in a cycling accident, and his participation in Bahrain came into question, Vettel was touted as a potential replacement. Aston Martin didn’t rule it out at the time; though later, it was Felipe Drugovich, who participated in testing and was set to replace Stroll. Later, it was confirmed that the Woking team did not even approach Vettel to potentially replace Stroll. A possible return was never on the cards.

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Still, there’s a chance it may happen in the future. After all, Vettel is still only 35 and gave a very good account of himself in the latter half of 2022. Some credit for Aston Martin’s explosion to the upper end of the grid in 2023 also goes to him. Some have commented that he may regret retiring when he did – indeed, Mike Krack, AM’s team principal, even hoped Vettel would regret it.

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That’s not the case, but the German continues to be coy about a potential return. When asked directly about an F1 return in 2024 at a media event for Bio Bienen Apfel, he said: “I think it’s very difficult to know what will happen next year. I don’t regret [leaving F1 and Aston Martin]. The first thing, of course, is joy, which is more important than anything else. I know the team very well from the last few years and I’m happy that they are doing so well.” as per GPFans.

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Sebastian Vettel is “happy” for Fernando Alonso

Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel during a press conference at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (IMAGO / ZUMA Wire)
Fernando Alonso and Sebastian Vettel during a press conference at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (IMAGO / ZUMA Wire)

Aston Martin finished P7 last season, but that was mostly down to a massive improvement in the second half of the season. At the start of the season, it wasn’t all that great for them. This time around though, they’ve pretty much solidified their place as a ‘frontrunner’ right from the start. Sebastian Vettel feels this was expected: “That 2023 was going to be a better year than last season I think was obvious, because last year was pretty bad, so it was expected.”

He added: “Of course, you never know what the others are doing, but it was going to be better. But no matter what’s happening now, I thought it through and made my decision, regardless of how things might have gone this year.” Further, he was even happy for Fernando Alonso, the man who replaced him: “I’m happy for him. I think there were actually many years where he didn’t have a good car, and yes, now he’s living that second spring or honeymoon.”

It’ll be interesting to see if Vettel actually does return to F1. Some fans have speculated about a return to the sport with Audi in 2026. Why? Because, just like his idol, Michael Schumacher, some fans feel that Vettel may return to the sport 4 years after his retirement, with a German manufacturer (For Schumacher, it was Mercedes). This is far-fetched, yes, but it would certainly be an interesting coincidence.

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