Formula 1 News: Washed up Vettel declares F1 race career 'over'

(GMM) Sebastian Vettel has declared his Formula 1 career to be “over”. Although more strongly linked with a return to the paddock as Dr Helmut Marko’s successor at Red Bull, there have been rumblings since his retirement at the end of 2022 that he might consider racing again.

The 38-year-old now tells Auto Motor und Sport that he has considered a return to the cockpit at Le Mans and the World Endurance Championship (WEC).

“I don’t want to rule out the possibility that something might come of it,” said the German.

“There have been discussions, but somehow it hasn’t worked out yet. But the right constellation at the right time, the right partnership, the right outlook.”

Vettel indicates, however, that his fans might see him in a competitive cockpit again.

“To be honest, I wasn’t that interested in endurance racing from my lone fighter perspective,” said the former Red Bull, Ferrari and Aston Martin driver.

“I see it differently now. I find it incredibly exciting – the team structure, sharing a car, making compromises.”

WEC would also slot into his new full-time persona as a family man.

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“In motorsport, it’s difficult to say ‘I’ll only do half the races’. The WEC would actually be a good fit with its eight races, which are also structured differently than Formula 1.”

His days on the F1 grid, therefore, are admittedly “over”.

“It’s always a question of how intensively you want to do something,” said Vettel. “For me, it’s always been the case that when I commit to something, I want to do it properly. Just going along for the ride isn’t for me.

“Formula 1 is over,” he declared.

“At some point, the time is right to leave the field to others. You can see that especially with the rookies – I think it’s good that a whole group of drivers has been replaced.

“This isn’t a vote against the old drivers, but rather for the young drivers,” Vettel added. “I didn’t care in the past which of the established drivers was no longer racing. The main thing is that I get to drive.”