Sebastian Vettel has been enjoying retirement for nearly two years now – but could it be time to clamber into a cockpit again soon?
The German hasn’t seen much racing action since his final Formula 1 race for Aston Martin at the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
He’s shown his face at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, in a demonstration for Red Bull at the Nurburgring, and lastly and perhaps most significantly, completed a test for Porsche.
Driving their 963 hypercar at the Aragon circuit, the German was out through his paces earlier this March, but nothing has been heard about it since.
Could Sebastian Vettel compete in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
The most perplexing thing about Vettel’s Porsche test was the fact that he tested at their facility, and at the Aragon circuits a few months before the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.
However, despite working closely with all the drivers who went on to compete in the event, he didn’t compete himself.
There must have been conversations, and perhaps a realisation that he needs time before making the big jump to endurance racing.
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Or, he realised that he was done with racing for good – after all, the longer he is away, the trickier it will be to return.
That would be a surprising outcome, seeing as he refused to rule out a return to Formula 1 earlier in the season, after being linked to a Mercedes drive.
Could he form a dream Le Mans trio with Fernando Alonso and Max Verstappen?
Fernando Alonso is an experienced Hypercar driver and has already won at Le Mans before with Toyota, while on an F1 hiatus.
The Spaniard has explored the possibility of winning the Triple Crown, but has failed to crack the Indy 500 segment – but could be tempted to form a dream team?
Especially if Max Verstappen was to be up for it, with the Dutchman who regularly sim races having admitted that it’s something he too would like to do someday.
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The prospect of a Vettel, Alonso, Verstappen team would have fans on the edge of their seats, and be something historic in both the WEC and Formula 1 landscapes.
Of course, it’s unlikely to happen, and they would need to find a team to facilitate this move and allow them to test – so maybe it’s one for a little further in the future when the Formula 1 calendar isn’t so tough?