Four-time F1 world champion Sebastian Vettel will be retiring from the sport at the end of this year and will surely be missed on the grid. However, he will not rule out a one-off comeback for a single race weekend, if somebody offered him the chance again to race at Suzuka, which is his favorite track.
Vettel in fact clinched his second F1 title at Suzuka back in 2011 when he was racing for Red Bull, so it’s no wonder that he would have fond memories from the Japanese Grand Prix.
When asked whether he would ever sign up for various Japanese racing categories in the future just so he could race at Suzuka, the Aston Martin driver stated, “never say never,” as quoted by Motorsport.
“Obviously I love driving, and around this track, I always felt very alive, and the passion always felt very alive. We’ll see what type of car maybe in the future will come up. Maybe one of these guys [the other F1 drivers] in the future races here will feel a bit sick, I don’t know.”
“I don’t wish them to feel so, but I wouldn’t mind jumping back in for a race at Suzuka at any time.”
“But obviously we’ll see what the future brings. At the moment, I have no plans. But I think there are some exciting races happening in Japan. I don’t know, we’ll see.”
Vettel then made sure he was being taken seriously while discussing the possibility of returning for only one race.
“Yeah, if anybody is happy to sign up a driver for a single race! I’m sure those guys wouldn’t be happy to step aside. But it would be something I would seriously consider.”
All four of Sebastian Vettel’s wins at Suzuka came while he was racing for Red Bull. However, he also clinched pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in 2019 when he was still at Ferrari.
When asked whether he would ever sign up for various Japanese racing categories in the future just so he could race at Suzuka, the Aston Martin driver stated, “never say never,” as quoted by Motorsport.
“Obviously I love driving, and around this track, I always felt very alive, and the passion always felt very alive. We’ll see what type of car maybe in the future will come up. Maybe one of these guys [the other F1 drivers] in the future races here will feel a bit sick, I don’t know.”
“I don’t wish them to feel so, but I wouldn’t mind jumping back in for a race at Suzuka at any time.”
“But obviously we’ll see what the future brings. At the moment, I have no plans. But I think there are some exciting races happening in Japan. I don’t know, we’ll see.”
Vettel then made sure he was being taken seriously while discussing the possibility of returning for only one race.
“Yeah, if anybody is happy to sign up a driver for a single race! I’m sure those guys wouldn’t be happy to step aside. But it would be something I would seriously consider.”
All four of Sebastian Vettel’s wins at Suzuka came while he was racing for Red Bull. However, he also clinched pole position for the Japanese Grand Prix in 2019 when he was still at Ferrari.