A Heroic Return for Baby Schumi?
A Hopeful future for the German with a German team?
As the first half of the 2022 Formula One season came to an end, All viewers looked forward to a somewhat interesting silly season. but as the summer break began, pandemonium ensued as Aston Martin Formula One driver and 4-time Formula One World Champion Sebastian Vettel announced his retirement from the sport. Within all the grim atmosphere and well wishes, there seemed to be hope. A hope of Vettel getting back in a car and thriving in his natural habitat which is Racing.
All prayers were answered this evening as Porsche Penske Motorsport announced that the German would sit in the Hypercar prototype Porsche 963 and get some testing laps done at Porsche’s R&D Centre in Weissach.
As a man who has clinched four world driver titles, 53 F1 race victories and been a guiding light for young drivers, Sebastian is no stranger to pushing the mettle. In preparation for the coming tests, he has already worked in the simulator, showing his outright skill at adapting to the harsh conditions of Endurance racing.
“I’ve always followed other racing series and my curiosity for endurance events encouraged me to just give it a shot. Now I’m excited about the long run in Aragon and I am looking forward to my time behind the wheel.”
~ Sebastian Vettel
Vettel also speaks about the difficulties of Endurance Racing. He calls it ‘a new experience’ and ‘will take time to adjust’. But with a pedigree as good as Sebastian’s, It would be hard to be surprised when he posts astonishing results in the coming months.
The Vice President of Porsche Motorsport, Thomas Laudenbach lauds Vettel and his brilliance. ‘There was no question for us that we’d be thrilled to support his request for an opportunity to test and provide him with extensive preparation and plenty of time to drive our hybrid prototype – there’s no doubt we’ll learn a lot from his valuable feedback.”
“We’re delighted that Sebastian Vettel is interested in our Porsche 963”
~Thomas Laudenbach
Vettel has been well-prepped with the 963. He has worked extensively with the simulators at the Porsche Penske Motorsport facility in Mannheim. He got a taste of the 963 at the in-house test track at the Weissach R&D Centre.
It feels unusual to see Sebastian in an Endurance car after his amazing spell in Formula One spanning fifteen years. Even with a career to stare in awe at, becoming an Endurance racer isn’t hop-skip-and-jump. With Porsche eyeing a record 20th victory at Circuit de la Sarthe, the German outfit needs to step up their game so that they can dethrone Le Mans favourites Ferrari and Toyota to take the Chequered flag on French soil. If Porsche drafts in Vettel, they need to be on their toes to provide a car fit for not only winning but also to keep Vettel active enough to stay with them for future endeavours
Speaking of future endeavours, RTL.DE reports that Vettel’s tests are a way for him to get back into full-time racing. According to them, Vettel aims at a full-time race seat at Formula One. More specifically, He aims for Mercedes driver Lewis Hamilton’s seat. Vettel percieves Le Mans and Endurance Racing as ‘Plan B’.
But how does that tie into the rumours and prayers of Vettel joining Audi for Formula One in 2026 as the rules change? Will Mick Schumacher jump ship from WEC back into F1 to partner Vettel to form an all-German super-team at Audi or will Sebastian join Mercedes?
Time will tell.