Could Sebastian Vettel return to F1 with Audi?

The vacant F1 drive at Audi could be the perfect place for Sebastian Vettel to launch a comeback.

The four-time Formula 1 champion flirted with a return to the grid earlier this season.

He had touted his own name as Mercedes considered how to replace Ferrari-bound Lewis Hamilton.

A German legend driving for the German manufacturer would have brought back memories of Michael Schumacher’s stint with Mercedes, which laid the foundations for Hamilton’s later success.

That opportunity has passed Vettel by, but another potential chance exists which is also based in Germany.

Audi intend to make a splash when they enter F1 fully in 2026, when the new regulations kick in.

For one more year they will run as Sauber but their signing of Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg has given them a German presence in their car next season.

Hulkenberg’s teammate is yet to be decided but neither of the team’s current drivers, Valtteri Bottas or Guanyu Zhou, have been committed to yet.

Could this be the perfect chance for Vettel to come back into F1?

He already has a couple of close allies within the team.

Jonathan Wheatley will leave his role as Red Bull sporting director to become Audi team principal, and ex-Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto is their new Chief Operating and Chief Technical Officer.

Vettel’s four titles with Red Bull came with Wheatley alongside him. Then his spell at Ferrari - which did deliver the desired results - came with Binotto as head of engines, then as the team principal.

Still just 37, Vettel is younger than Hamilton and Fernando Alonso.

But, when debating a comeback earlier this year, he did admit that the competitiveness of his car would be a factor. Sauber have not scored a single point this F1 season. They represent a long-term project rather than an immediate opportunity to win grands prix.

“I think it depends on the package,” Vettel told Sky Sports earlier this year about returning to F1.

"I retired from Formula 1 not to come back, but I also did say that you never know. So I think it still stands.

"Obviously, there's things that I miss, which is mostly the competition. And things that I don't miss, so that hasn't changed.”

Damon Hill previously advised Mercedes against bringing Vettel back, saying: “He burned very brightly for an intense period. Then, something happened. It petered out. It bumped along.”

But, at Audi, Vettel could be the face of a massive new Germany-based F1 project which is determined to make an impact.

After two years away from the sport, since retiring after a stint at Aston Martin, is that enough to tempt him back? And would Audi take a chance on bringing a legend back in from the cold?