18/07/2025
NEWS STORY
Ruling out any possibility of a return to F1, four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel admits that WEC is of interest.
The German tested with Porsche last year, but nothing appeared to come out of it. Then there was talk of him 'replacing' Helmut Marko in terms of running Red Bull's long-established junior programme, but again there has been little of substance.
Talking to Auto Motor und Sport, Vettel is clearly keen to get back behind the wheel, but rules out any idea of returning to F1.
"F1 is finished," he says, clearly referring to his own ambitions as opposed to reflecting the views of the majority of long-standing fans of the sport. "At some point the time is ripe to leave the field to others.
"You see that with the rookies," he continues. "I think it's good that a lot of drivers have now been replaced. "That's not a vote against the older ones," he insists, "but for the younger ones.
"In the past, I didn't care who among the established drivers was no longer driving, the most important thing was that I was allowed to drive."
Asked, in view of the Porsche test, about the possibility of racing in WEC, he says: "I don't want to rule out something coming of it.
"There have been talks," he admits, "but somehow it hasn't come about yet.
"In the past I was honestly not that interested in endurance racing, from my perspective as a lone fighter," he admits. "Nowadays, I see it differently. I find it totally exciting, with this team structure, sharing a car and making compromises.
"WEC would actually be a good fit with its eight races, which are also structured differently than Formula 1.
"It's always a question of how intense you want to do something," he says. "For me, it has always been that when I participate in something, I want to do it well. Just participating is nothing for me."