Sebastian Vettel names one area where he’d struggle if he came back to F1

Follow us on Google Discover

Sebastian Vettel admits he’s probably not ‘ready’ for one aspect of Formula 1 amid talk around a possible comeback.

Four-time world champion Vettel retired at the end of the 2022 season but hasn’t ruled out a return.

Speaking on The Fast and the Curious Podcast, the German discussed the challenges of jumping back in an F1 car.

Vettel is one of the most successful drivers in F1 history, with only Michael Schumacher, Lewis Hamilton (both seven) and Juan-Manuel Fangio (five) above him on the all-time titles list.

Though Max Verstappen recently leapfrogged him for the former, he still ranks in the top four for total wins (53) and pole positions (57).

However, the last of his titles came in 2013 at Red Bull and he wasn’t able to end Ferrari’s long drought after joining the Scuderia in 2014.

Vettel threatened to challenge Mercedes and Hamilton in the 2017 and particularly the 2018 seasons, but eventually fell away.

Ferrari ultimately decided to axe him in favour of Carlos Sainz ahead of the 2020 season, leading him to drop into the midfield with Aston Martin.

Sebastian Vettel says F1 G-force would be a challenge in any comeback

Vettel says he’s generally kept himself in good shape since bowing out of the sport, so thinks his fitness wouldn’t stand in the way of a comeback at the age of 36.

However, he does admit that his neck might initially struggle with the G-force when driving flat out.

He said: “The neck is probably not ready to go because really the best training is driving the car.

“But the rest I think is pretty much okay. I feel good, keeping fit, I’ve been working out a lot because I enjoy it.

“I haven’t fallen off in terms of physical level, but surely the neck would be the one [area] exposed.

“But then it depends on the track, it depends on the car, so it’s all hypothetical.”

Should Mercedes sign Sebastian Vettel?

The speculation around Vettel has largely surfaced because Mercedes have a vacancy for the 2025 season thanks to Hamilton’s move to Ferrari.

Vettel said recently that he remains in contact with Silver Arrows team principal Toto Wolff, but they haven’t held any formal negotiations.

Strategist Bernie Collins, who worked alongside him at Aston Martin, thinks he’d accept an offer from the German manufacturer.

George Russell inevitably faced questions about the prospect of racing alongside Vettel ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix, and he says he’d welcome the challenge.

However, Collins believes that Wolff should be thinking more ‘long term’ with his line-up for next year.

Likewise, David Croft reckons that they will have their eye on ‘younger’ options if they can’t prise three-time world champion Verstappen away from Red Bull.