Adrian Newey drops verdict on Sebastian Vettel’s potential return to F1

Aston Martin-bound Adrian Newey dismissed rumors about Sebastian Vettel's potential return to Formula 1, saying that the four-time F1 champion has moved on from racing and is content with his life off the track.

Newey worked closely with Vettel at Red Bull Racing, where Vettel drove Newey-designed cars to four consecutive championship titles from 2010-13. Vettel retired in 2022 after a two-year stint at Aston Martin, where Newey is set to join next year as a Managing Technical Partner.

With German manufacturer Audi entering the sport in 2026, rumors circulated that Sebastian Vettel could join Nico Hulkenberg to form an all-German driver lineup. Adrian Newey squashed these speculations suggesting that the 37-year-old is unlikely to make an F1 comeback.

In a recent appearance on the High Performance podcast, the 65-year-old Briton said:

"Sebastian still rang up the other day, he was travelling through Norway with his motor home," Newey said.

The co-host questioned,"I keep hearing rumors of Sebastian Vettel coming back to Formula 1?" [at 1:08:14]

"I don't know, I can't see that. He's enjoying his life, he's moved on, he's doing different things. Fair play to him," Newey responded.

Newly appointed Audi boss Mattia Binotto, who previously worked with Sebastian Vettel during their time at Ferrari, recently addressed rumors about Vettel's potential return. Binotto spoke highly about the German driver but didn't elaborate on his chances of joining the team.

Vettel has previously stated that he retired from the sport not to make a comeback in the future, but has kept his options open. He said that while he misses the competitive side of racing, he is also enjoying his time away from the sport.

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Adrian Newey calls out British media for 'demonizing' Sebastian Vettel and Max Verstappen

Red Bull Racing CTO Adrian Newey called out the British media, Sky Sports F1 for demonizing Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel. Hailing from Britain, Newey didn't shy away from criticizing the international F1 broadcaster for being "nationalistic".

In the above-mentioned podcast, Newey mentioned that both Red Bull champions were vilified by the British media, particularly Sky Sports. He said:

"He's (Verstappen) incredibly mature and rounded and philosophical. I think from the outside I'm not sure people fully appreciate and understand Max just like they didn't with Sebastian. First of all, there's this sort of demonization both of them suffered at times. which I think is very unfair. And maybe that's also a little bit of the British media. This Sky (Sports) have a huge influence around the world. Their viewing figures, although their viewing is truly International but their coverage is quite nationalistic, that I say," Newey said. [at 1:11:02]

Sebastian Vettel was a polarizing figure during his dominant stint with Red Bull Racing but transformed into a fan-favorite driver in the twilight of his career.