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Veteran F1 driver David Coulthard stands strongly against Sebastian Vettel joining the Formula 1 grid back in the future. The German driver retired at the end of the 2022 season but was speculated to make a return in the foreseeable future.
Vettel was the first Red Bull driver to win a World Championship. Clinching four consecutive titles from 2010-2013, the German remained at the top of the table and set a new benchmark of competition. He then moved to Ferrari where he kept coming close to winning his fifth but wasn't able to achieve that target.
Vettel spent his final two seasons with Aston Martin but the team was not competitive enough at the time and kept battling out for points. Following the end of the 2022 season, the German hung his helmet and retired from F1 for good. Although he was speculated to make a comeback by many fans and drivers in the future, there is no certainty if he will return.
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While many do want him back on the grid, $80 million-worth David Coulthard (as per Celebrity net worth), a former celebrated driver for McLaren and Red Bull, feels against it. He believes that Vettel would not be any faster returning to the sport years later.
"No! Only if he lives in an illusion thinking that, after a couple of years of pause, he can be faster," Coulthard said of Vettel (via FormulaPassion).
Furthermore, the 53-year-old also mentioned that by the end of his career in 2022, Sebastian Vettel was not putting in competitive laptimes.
"But the reality is that the stopwatch does not lie, and at the end of his career he was no longer doing the lap times necessary to be competitive," he added.
Vettel was rumored to join hands with Audi as they are set to take over Sauber in the 2026 season with the new F1 regulations, however, with the latter signing Gabriel Bortoleto and Nico Hulkenberg this season onwards, that opportunity seems to have disappeared for the four-time World Champion.
Sebastian Vettel to team up with Mick Schumacher for the Race of Champions
Sebastian Vettel will return to racing, teaming up with Mick Schumacher for the Race of Champions this year in Sydney. The duo formed quite a bond during their time in F1 in 2021 and 2022, post which, both left the grid. Schumacher was not given a contract extension at the time.
While the young Schumacher found his way to the World Endurance Championship with Alpine, he will return to team up with Vettel for the Race of Champions. A young Vettel also teamed up with his father, Michael Schumacher, in 2012. The duo won the team event for Germany.
Michael Schumacher and Sebastian Vettel shared a great partnership while the former raced for Mercedes in his second F1 stint. After his son Mick joined the grid, he shared what seemed to be a mentor-mentee relationship with Vettel.
Vettel currently does not compete in any championship or racing. Meanwhile, Schumacher is set to embark his second season in WEC with Alpine.
