Recently-retired F1 driver Sebastian Vettel bowed out from the sport as one of the most loved personalities.
It wasn’t just his affable nature that excited fans, though. He was a rather efficient driver too, famously bagging four back-to-back titles at Red Bull and his name will forever be etched in the team’s folklore.
Naturally, fans were hoping to see Vettel return to the sport, more specifically Red Bull, in a management role once his racing career came to an end.
There was even a rumour going around that the German would be recruited by Red Bull to feature in its management.
However, all the air has been taken out of this and it has been almost completely dismissed by Red Bull team principal Christian Horner.
Horner was asked about the prospect of seeing Vettel return at Red Bull during an interview with ams.F1.
“I don’t think so. I can’t see Seb doing a regular job or moving to the UK and I think there’s so many other things in his life that he wants to do and achieve with his family,” Horner said.
“He’s a little bit of a free spirit and he has many projects that he’s hugely passionate about. So, I think there’s certain things in Formula 1 other than the driving that obviously felt conflicted about.
“Maybe to Formula 1 as the environmental adviser, that might be something that he can take and use his passion. But I think in the day-to-day operation of a team, I’d be very surprised if he were to get involved in that.”
Ralf Schumacher says Vettel will return as driver
Meanwhile, former F1 driver and Sky Germany reporter Ralf Schumacher believes Vettel will force his way back into the sport rather quickly.
However, Ralf believes that Vettel will return in the capacity of a driver.
Ralf has based his theory on Vettel’s years of experience and the fact that he is still very competitive despite a disappointing end to his career at Aston Martin.
“Sebastian’s comeback in Formula 1 cannot be ruled out. In Formula 1 there are many factors that lead to being fast,” Ralf said.
“One of them is experience. New drivers take a long time to get to the level of Sebastian Vettel.
“Accordingly, with his vast experience, Sebastian already has the chance to come back in a year or two and be among the front runners.
“Maybe after a year or two with the family he will have the strength to start a comeback.”