Sebastian Vettel’s Formula 1 career spanned 16 seasons and five constructors, leading to the German becoming one of the sport’s greatest drivers.
Although Sebastian Vettel is best known for the four drivers’ championships he won with Red Bull, it should be remembered that he came extremely close to adding to that tally during his time with Ferrari.
His battles with Lewis Hamilton during his Mercedes days were intense, and while they have a good relationship now, it was previously very frosty.
Vettel had some exceptional teammates during his time in Formula 1, including Mark Webber and Kimi Raikkonen.
Webber and Vettel had some feisty exchanges at Red Bull, but one teammate who finally got the better of the 38-year-old was Charles Leclerc.
Sebastian Vettel’s Formula 1 career
Leclerc arrived at Ferrari after a year-long loan spell at Sauber in 2019, and immediately finished above Vettel in the championship.
After one more season together, Ferrari decided to bring in Carlos Sainz to replace Vettel, leaving him looking for a new opportunity.
Journalist Bianca Garloff believes that before he settled for a seat at Aston Martin, it was the £3.1bn-valued Mercedes team that he wanted to join, before Toto Wolff blocked his signing.
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Photo credit should read ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty ImagesToto Wolff ‘prevented’ Mercedes from signing Sebastian Vettel after Ferrari exit
Garloff was asked on F1 Insider’s YouTube channel if there was any possibility of Wolff asking Vettel to return to Formula 1, and she replied: “Wolff won’t ask Vettel, we don’t need to think about it any further!
“There’s no need to think about it anymore. His time in Formula 1 is over; no one would want him as a driver in Formula 1.
“Toto Wolff had the chance [to sign him] when Sebastian was dropped by Ferrari, his contract wasn’t renewed, let’s put it that way.
“Sebastian wanted to go to Mercedes, Toto prevented it. That’s why Seb had to go to Aston Martin.
“The decision ultimately lay with Toto Wolff, and the decision was not positive.”
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When Hamilton announced that he would be leaving Mercedes for Ferrari last season, Vettel was one of the names linked with his seat.
Vettel had been retired from Formula 1 for over a year and hadn’t taken part in a professional race since the 2022 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
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Asked about the prospect of the four-time world champion returning with the Silver Arrows, via Formula 1’s official website, Wolff said: “Seb, I think, is flirting with the idea of going racing again.
“You can see he’s done a sports car test with Porsche and has been enjoying it, and I think maybe there is the idea that came back of maybe coming back to Formula 1.
“Sebastian has been a good friend since a long time, I respect him as a driver a lot. Therefore, it’s never a name you can discount and say ‘no it’s not for us’, it needs to be part of any discussions going forward.”
In the end, Vettel’s experience was overlooked for Andrea Kimi Antonelli’s potential, although it’s been a bumpy start to life in Formula 1 for the teenager.
However, there are plenty of upsides to giving the Italian his chance, whereas with Vettel, his final seasons in F1 demonstrated that it would be very unlikely that he would rediscover his championship-winning form.