Three F1 champions who could have returned to win again after retiring from the sport

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Most Formula 1 champions are pretty finished with the sport by the time they decide to retire but, every now and then, a few walk away a bit prematurely.

A prime example is Michael Schumacher, who decided to return to Formula 1 in 2010 for a completely new challenge with Mercedes just four years after retiring with Ferrari.

Then there are the few champions who have returned in one-off capacities like Jenson Button, who stood in for McLaren at the 2017 Monaco Grand Prix after retiring at the end of 2016.

Fernando Alonso also retired at the end of a spell with McLaren in 2018 before coming back after two years away. But, since then, he hasn’t enjoyed much success with Alpine and Aston Martin.

There are also a few drivers in retirement currently who would be box office if they came back. Sadly, Sebastian Vettel is ‘almost certain’ he won’t return to F1, especially considering it will have been many seasons before getting back into a cockpit if he is to shock the world.

A few other drivers have slipped away too soon, as well, so here’s a look at which champions should have made a return to Formula 1 but didn’t.

Nico Rosberg, the 2016 Formula 1 champion

Nico Rosberg had more in the tank when he decided to step away from the sport in 2016 after winning the world championship.

The German had just achieved a long-term goal of his, beating the formidable Lewis Hamilton, and becoming just the second father-son champion duo in F1 history with his dad Keke winning the 1982 title.

Aged just 31 at the time, Rosberg was finished with forcing Hamilton into mistakes and decided to step away whilst on top of the world.

READ MORE: Hamilton reveals the race Rosberg left him thinking ‘this can’t be right’

He left Mercedes in the middle of their dominance yet may have won a few more titles, but Rosberg was ready to spend some more time with his family.

Now, Rosberg works as a pundit for Sky Sports and enjoys bringing his expertise to the screens of fans in the UK at various races on the calendar.

Mika Hakkinen, the 1998 and 1999 Formula 1 champion

Mika Hakkinen is another Mercedes-tied champion driver who could have returned to win again in F1 after retiring, having run their engines in his title-winning McLaren machines of 1998 and 1999.

The Flying Finn elected to take a sabbatical in 2001 aged 33, having lost the title at the wire to Schumacher in 2000. But the sabbatical effectively became retirement as Hakkinen never returned to F1.

Yet McLaren remained competitive throughout the decade, so he definitely could’ve challenged for the title in 2003 and 2005 had Hakkinen ever made a comeback.

He flirted with the idea of a comeback as late as 2006, taking part in a post-season test alongside Hamilton who instead debuted with McLaren in 2007, which didn’t go too well and assured Hakkinen that his time was up.

Damon Hill, the 1996 Formula 1 champion

Damon Hill, a man who claimed a race victory in his penultimate F1 season with a midfield car, is another former Formula 1 driver who could have won more had they returned to the grid after retiring.

During his final year, Hill had a Jordan car which nearly competed for the title in the hands of teammate Heinz-Harald Frentzen and he didn’t finish any lower than 10th.

But the Briton stepped away at the age of 39 after that, which was pretty old for a racing driver at the time and he was born in the same year as Ayrton Senna.

In a better car and even in below-par machinery, Hill proved during his final years that he could compete at the top still.

Imagine what he could have done in something like a McLaren or a BMW-powered Williams alongside Juan Pablo Montoya in the early 2000s!

Instead, Hill fell into punditry after that and only just announced that he would no longer continue with Sky Sports after the 2024 season – bringing a 13-year partnership to an end.