It came as a shock to the whole F1 community when Sebastian Vettel suddenly announced his retirement in the middle of the 2022 season. At the age of 36, one could say that Vettel still had a few more years left in his career to fight for a 5th world championship. Lewis Hamilton, who was involved in many intense championship battles with Vettel, was also stunned to see his good friend leave the sport. However, in a recent conversation, Hamilton revealed that he has not given up on the fact that Vettel could still make a comeback to F1.

Vettel’s decision to retire came ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix in July 2022. The then 35-year-old, a father of three, spoke about a shift in priorities towards family and other interests outside the sport. He described how the desire to stay home grew over time, especially after his move from Ferrari to Aston Martin at the end of 2020.

Lewis Hamilton believes Vettel will surely be missing the allure of Formula 1

Hamilton’s and Vettel’s rivalry dates back to their days in Formula 2. Hamilton was in his 2nd year in F2 when Vettel appeared on the scene. Despite many intense battles on track, the two world champions became great friends. When Vettel announced his retirement after 2 difficult seasons with Aston Martin, Hamilton expressed that he would feel sad to see a good friend leave the sport.

However, Hamilton also believed that Vettel would return to the sport in the future. During a driver’s press conference in Abu Dhabi in 2022, the Mercedes driver said, “This is your last race but you’ll be back,” citing the irresistible pull F1 has on the drivers. Vettel himself acknowledged that if the right opportunity presents itself, he might not shy away from making a return.

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In a recent interview with formule1.nl, Hamilton was asked about Vettel’s statement about returning to F1. In response, the 38-year-old said, “It didn’t surprise me, because you see it more often with drivers stopped. Fernando Alonso came back, [and] so did Michael Schumacher. I’ve also seen it in athletes from other sports, I’ve talked about that a few times as well. They said, ‘You’re losing something you’ve been doing all your life. All of a sudden, it’s gone.’ Then you can start to miss it and I can imagine that it is an incredible hole that you fall into.“

Despite a Decade Apart, Michael Schumacher & Sebastian Vettel Quit F1 Shockingly Due to the Same Reason

Although it may seem unlikely that Vettel will find a good opportunity in the next 2 seasons, the new regulations in 2026 just might open the door for the return of the 4-time world champion.

F1 has a history of high-profile comebacks

There have been many occasions in the past when iconic Formula 1 drivers have made a surprising comeback to the sport. One of the most memorable was the return of Michael Schumacher with Mercedes in 2010. But it’s not the only one. Niki Lauda, a 3-time world champion also returned to the sport after his retirement.

As Hamilton stated, Fernando Alonso is one of the most recent comeback stories in F1. At 41, Alonso returned with Alpine and looked like his former self from day 1. The 2023 season also saw a full-time return of Nico Hulkenberg after having made occasional appearances for a few other teams since 2020. To sum it all up, it’s safe to say that Vettel might well return to the sport soon.

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Which team, according to you, is Vettel most likely to return with? Will it be at Mercedes after Lewis Hamilton finally hangs up his helmet? Share your insights down below in the comments.