F1 Champ Sebastian Vettel Hints That He Might Be Willing To Come Out Of Retirement

The driver market ahead of the 2025 Formula 1 season has already been interesting with Lewis Hamilton's jump to Ferrari and so many potentially available seats.

Well, it may get wilder after four-time champion Sebastian Vettel seemed to hint that he has had discussions about returning to Formula 1. 

The driver market has already been turned on its head once this season, so I guess this would put it back on its feet.

"I am speaking to Toto (Wolff, Mercedes team principal). I don't know if that qualifies as Mercedes, but about other things,' Vettel told Sky Sports News, per Daily Mail. 'I'm talking to a lot of people because I know them, but not very specific. I mean obviously it does cross my mind, I do think about it, but it's not the main thought."

Vettel's last season in F1 (at least as it stands) was in 2022. Back then, he was driving for Aston Martin and decided to hang it up just before the team debuted a car that was a weekly podium contender in the first few months of the season.

That may have been a tough pill to swallow for the driver who won four straight championships from 2010 to 2013 while driving for Red Bull.

Sebastian Vettel's last season in F1 came in 2022 driving for Aston Martin. (Photo by Dan Istitene - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty Images)

Vettel Talked About Potential Le Mans Appearance

Vettel also addressed whether or not he may give endurance racing a try after testing a Porsche hypercar. Could Le Mans be in the cards for him?

"Maybe, I don't know yet," he said "I've been testing. I was curious, so I wanted to see how it feels. It's obviously a different discipline. It's still racing, but it's a different car, different discipline."

He noted that while the idea of giving Le Mans a shot was tempting, he has other interests away from racing.

This would be far from the first time an F1 driver came out of retirement. Fernando Alonso did it, and so did Vettel's idol Michael Schumacher.

So, it's not outside the realm of possibility, and given the way the drivers market has already gone this season, it's probably best to expect the unexpected.