In 2014, Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull had to relinquish their reign over Formula 1, handing over duties to Mercedes. For almost eight years after that, the Brackley team had full control over the sport. That was until 2022 when Red Bull came back to power. Since then, it’s been Max Verstappen doing most of the heavy lifting. As the 2023 season progressed and the Dutchman raked in win after win, it seemed as though his winning streak wouldn’t see an end this year. But if anything, streaks are meant to be broken. That breaking point for Verstappen’s seemingly invincible run was the Singapore GP. 

Verstappen’s decade-old Red Bull predecessor, Vettel, held the record for most consecutive wins. A streak of nine he set in 2013. 10 years later, Verstappen broke that record with a 10th successive win at the Italian GP. In Verstappen’s bid to achieve that record, Vettel stood by him throughout. While it was all words of encouragement back then, now that the streak’s broken, Vettel sent Verstappen a warning.

Max Verstappen needs to watch his back

Last month, Vettel told Helmut Marko how Red Bull should aim to make it 12 consecutive wins so that no one could beat it in the future. Unfortunately, Verstappen never got to that number, thanks to Marina Bay. On the F1 Nation Podcast, Verstappen was asked, “When you broke Sebastian’s record, he was the first to text you. Did he also reach out today, now that you lost the series?” He replied,  “No, not today. I mean, we texted him there, and of course, I will see him in Suzuka. We can have a little chat and see how he’s doing.” What Vettel had in store for him wouldn’t have been what Verstappen expected.

When Vettel made his Suzuka appearance, the crowd chanted, “Come back, Seb!” With the possibility of a racing comeback and his support for Red Bull and Verstappen, Vettel was asked by Channel 4 how he would feel partnering with Verstappen. As quoted by f1i.autojournal.fr, he said, “I won’t compete with Max with a snap of my fingers. We know how good he is and that it’s impossible to be directly on par with him. But, of course, I know my abilities, and I know what I can do and what I can’t do. I think I’m very different from Max, but I’m convinced that no one is invincible.” [Translated by Google]

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The Singapore GP all but proved how even the strongest competitors have their weaknesses. With his rivals waiting to pounce like they did in Marina Bay, Verstappen needs to stay as focused as ever. Even so, Vettel knows how difficult it would be to beat Verstappen. He added, “I wouldn’t be able to beat him with my hands in my pockets and just putting my b*tt in the seat. I don’t think that’s how it works.”

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Despite the slight skepticism toward racing alongside Verstappen, Vettel hasn’t written off a possible comeback. After giving a wake-up call to Verstappen, he gave a wake-up call to his fans, too!

Sebastian Vettel “will drive again” when the opportunity comes

Standing on the sidelines at Suzuka, Vettel was asked about a possible return to competitive racing. He said, “I think it’s something that if you asked all of them (Niki Lauda, Nigel Mansell, Kimi Raikkonen), probably some of them would have said, ‘No.’ Some of them, ‘I don’t know.’ But in the end, all of them came back, so I can’t exclude it. It will depend on the challenge.” As challenging as enticing racing alongside Verstappen would be, there might be a different opportunity waiting for him in 2024. 

What is it? A seat in the World Endurance Championship, driving with Robert Kubica and Jenson Button for Jota. In an interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel revealed, “Nothing has been signed or decided yet. But I have the matter in the back of my mind. I still have time to decide. If at some point I come to the conclusion that it doesn’t work without racing, then I will drive again.”

Would you like to see a Max Verstappen and Sebastian Vettel lineup in the future?

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