“He is walking like he never left”: F1 fans react as Sebastian Vettel arrives for the 2023 Monaco GP

Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, along with all the exciting setups for the race, fans were delighted to spot Sebastian Vettel walking down the pitlane. The former retired from the sport after the end of the 2022 season.

This is the first time since the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix that Vettel's face has been seen in the Formula 1 paddock. His massive fan following was quick to notice it, as a wave went around on Twitter, posting and reacting to his surprise presence around the world of racing and Formula 1.

Here are some of the best reactions from Twitter on Sebastian Vettel's spotting at Monaco.

"HE IS WALKING THERE LIKE HE NEVER LEFT"

"SEB IS IN MONACO. I REPEAT SEB IS IN MONACO"

"OH MY GOD IT’S HAPPENING"

"King of f1 arrived watching charles winning Monaco"

"I just like how everyone he walks ahead of turns his head"

"I jumped out of my bed as sono as i read it"

"OH MY GOD IVE MISSED HIM SM"

Sebastian Vettel brought a lot of fans into tears after announcing his retirement at the end of the 2022 season (back in July 2022) through his first social media post. This was a piece of heartbreaking news for fans of the four-time world champion, and it was the hardest to bid the legend farewell from the sport, forever.

Many believe that he would sooner or later return to Formula 1, like Fernando Alonso did because he can't keep himself away from racing. While that might be a speculation, his spotting in Monaco surely proves that one simply cannot take the love of racing out of Vettel.

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What qualities do Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel share? (According to Red Bull team principal)

It is quite apparent that Max Verstappen has brought back Red Bull's glory days that Sebastian Vettel had once brought to the team, back in the V8 era with four consecutive world championships; Verstappen is halfway there already.

Contrasting the two drivers, Christian Horner, the team's principal, revealed a quality that they share, though they are almost a generation apart.

"There [are] so many great talents that you see come through, but they’re all different. They all have their own personalities, their own traits, but with the good guys, there is that same steely, ruthless determination that they all share, that I see in Max [and] I saw in Sebastian obviously beforehand. It’s that last little bit, they’re prepared to go that little bit further," Horner said.

The 2023 campaign has been going smoothly for the team, too, bringing in victories in all of the first five rounds of the season. Verstappen and Sergio Perez make up for the lead of the table, and a similar performance is expected down in the streets of Monte Carlo.