Sebastian Vettel advised against F1 comeback with “delusional” warning
“But the facts are, the stopwatch doesn’t lie and he wasn’t delivering the lap times at the end of his career.”
David Coulthard believes Sebastian Vettel would have to be “living in a delusional space” to consider a return to F1.
Vettel called time on his F1 career at the end of 2022 following two lacklustre seasons with Aston Martin.
The German switched to Aston Martin after Ferrari dropped him for Carlos Sainz.
However, his motivation dropped due to his lack of success in racing green, leading to his eventual retirement.
A return to F1 has been mooted several times, even though Vettel has insisted he’s happy away from the sport.
Vettel has been linked with a return with Audi, while there were rumours of a possible comeback with Mercedes as Lewis Hamilton’s replacement.
Speaking to Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel, Coulthard emphatically responded to a question about Vettel’s possible F1 return.
“No!” Coulthard said. “Only if he’s living in a delusional space where he thinks that having taken a couple of years out, he’ll be quicker.
“But the facts are, the stopwatch doesn’t lie and he wasn’t delivering the lap times at the end of his career.”
Could Vettel return to F1?
Vettel is one of F1’s most successful drivers, with four world titles and over 50 race victories.
His reputation took a hit during his two final years at Ferrari alongside Charles Leclerc.
Ultimately, he left the team as they replaced him with Sainz.
Despite flashes of brilliance at Aston Martin, including a podium in Azerbaijan 2021, his advantage over Lance Stroll wasn’t significant, especially when compared to Fernando Alonso’s over the past two seasons.
Speaking to Sky F1 last year, Vettel addressed talk of a potential comeback: “Well, potentially I am because I haven’t got a drive, but the question is: am I looking for one? I think it depends on the package.
“I retired from Formula 1 not to come back, but I also did say that you never know. So I think it still stands.”
“You never know where life is taking you,” he added, “so maybe it takes me back behind the wheel, maybe it doesn’t.”
With a sharp eye for F1’s controversies and storylines, Connor is the heartbeat of our unbiased reporting.
