Quadruple Formula 1 world champion Sebastian Vettel hinted on Wednesday that he could return to the sport one day, while he was in talks with Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff.
Mercedes has been looking for a new driver since Britain’s Lewis Hamilton announced in February that he would leave the team at the end of the season to join Ferrari, after 11 years with the Silver Arrows.
Vettel won his four world championship titles with Red Bull from 2010 to 2013. He retired from Formula 1 at the end of the 2022 season after six years at Ferrari and two years at Aston Martin.
But the German driver suggested he has not ruled out returning to the premier class following discussions with Wolff and several other team bosses.
“I’m talking to Toto. I don’t know if you can say it’s (about) Mercedes, but it’s about other things,” Vettel told Sky Sports News.
“I talk to a lot of people because I know them, but not in a very specific way. I mean it crosses my mind (the idea of a return), I think about it, but it’s not the main thought,” added the 36-year-old driver.
“I have three kids at home, I’m very busy every day, so I have a lot of other thoughts on my mind,” he summed up.
“So I spoke to a lot of other team principals, and not just about racing. There are ideas, but nothing concrete yet.”
Vettel said he was surprised by Hamilton’s decision to leave Mercedes for Ferrari after winning six world titles with the German team – in addition to his first with McLaren.
“I was surprised, like most of us, I think,” he said of his former rival. “But it’s exciting. “It’s obvious he’s looking for a new challenge and it will be different to see him in red, in a different color.”
Vettel, meanwhile, recently tested the Porsche 963 which will compete in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the Hypercar category.