Sebastian Vettel's great Formula 1 career ended with the end of last season. The four-time world champion says goodbye to his sporting retirement emotionally. But an injury to Lance Stroll made for a lightning comeback. Vettel's ex-team is nebulous.
Will Sebastian Vettel surprisingly return to the premier class just a few months after his last Formula 1 race at the beginning of the new season? It doesn't seem out of the question at the moment, at least Vettel's ex-team Aston Martin is apparently considering a return of the four-time world champion as a serious option.
After regular driver Lance Stroll suffered an unspecified wrist injury while riding his bike before testing in Bahrain, the British team may have to replace the Canadian for next weekend's season opener. And team boss Mike Krack admitted during the tests that he had already spoken to four-time champion Vettel. "I had a few phone calls with Sebastian, but that was the case last year and will continue to be so."
Krack, a Vettel confidante, said in Bahrain that "Plan A" is for Stroll to be fit again for next weekend's race. He added: "We'll talk about Plan B next week." When asked if Vettel had declared his willingness to come back should Aston Martin need a driver to replace Stroll, Krack said: "I can't tell you that." Stroll is set to race in Aston Martin's simulator this week in hopes of finding out if his injury has recovered enough for him to start in Bahrain from Friday.
"First our plan is to have Lance in the car and then we'll see," he said, adding, "You can ask me five times, we haven't made a final decision yet." The team never said how badly Stroll was injured, citing the privacy of team owner Lawrence Stroll's son.
Vettel only left Formula 1 in November last year after 14 years in Abu Dhabi. He knows the team and the processes, together with Stroll he formed the driver team at Aston Martin for two seasons. The Hessian explained his resignation by saying that he now had other priorities. He cited time with his family and his desire to speak up for causes important to him, particularly social justice and environmental protection.
However, it seems highly unlikely that Vettel will actually return so quickly. "You have to remember one thing - he has planned his retirement very carefully and you have to respect that," said Krack. "Let's wait and see what happens." However, a return of the crowd's favorite would definitely be attractive: Fernando Alonso has been driving for Aston Martin since this season. Both Formula 1 legends have a long sporting rivalry, Vettel won the world championship for Red Bull in 2010 and 2012 just ahead of Ferrari driver Alonso.
With Felipe Drugovich and Stoffel Vandoorne, Aston Martin already has two drivers under contract who could replace Stroll. Drugovich tested the car together with the new Aston Martin top driver Alonso at the weekend.
