Four-time Formula One champion Sebastian Vettel has confirmed that he is in talks with Red Bull about a return to Formula One.
The German retired from racing in 2022, but told ORF that he has been in talks with Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko about a potential future non-driving role with his former team.
Vettel is one of F1’s all-time greats and has blessed fans with some of the greatest moments of the past two decades.
Here, we look at his top five moments in Formula One.
5. 2015 Malaysian Grand Prix – First Ferrari Win
2014 saw Vettel miss out on the world championship for the first time since 2009, causing the German to make a blockbuster move to Ferrari.
Early signs were positive, as Vettel pulled off an unexpected win in Malaysia against the dominant Mercedes of Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg.
A rain-affected qualifying session saw Vettel split the Mercedes cars, qualifying an impressive 0.074 seconds behind Hamilton.
In the race, Ferrari’s crucial strategy call to not pit Vettel under the safety car won them the race, as Vettel nursed his medium tyres expertly to win his 40th ever race.
4. 2008 Italian Grand Prix – Maiden Win with Toro Rosso
In only his second full season in Formula One, driving for the Red Bull junior team Toro Rosso, Vettel put on a wet-weather masterclass to take his, and his team’s, maiden victory in F1.
The magic began in qualifying. In wet conditions, Vettel set an incredible lap to claim pole position, making him the youngest polesitter in F1 history.
The race started under the safety car due to the wet conditions, but once the cars were released, Vettel quickly built a comfortable lead.
He showed composure beyond his years to win from start to finish, taking the chequered flag 12.5 seconds before the trailing Heikki Kovalainen in the McLaren.
3. 2011 Dominance
2011 was undoubtedly Vettel’s best season in F1. He won the world championship with four races to spare, winning 11 races and taking a record 15 pole positions in a single season.
En route to securing his second driver’s title, Vettel won 57% of the races, beat Nigel Mansell’s record for most pole positions, and finished off the podium only twice during the season.
Scoring 392 points, he won the championship by 122 points over second-placed Jenson Button and clinched the title with four races still to go at the Japanese Grand Prix.
2011 World Driver’s Championship Standings
| Postion | Driver | Team | Points |
| 1 | Sebastian Vettel | Red Bull | 392 |
| 2 | Jenson Button | McLaren | 270 |
| 3 | Mark Webber | Red Bull | 258 |
| 4 | Fernando Alonso | Ferarri | 257 |
| 5 | Lewis Hamilton | McLaren | 227 |
The 2011 season was a testament not only to Vettel’s immense talent but also to the genius of legendary aerodynamicist Adrian Newey, who helped to design one of the most dominant cars of all time.
2. Record-Breaking Nine Consecutive Wins in 2013
On the way to securing his fourth consecutive title, Vettel went on a record-breaking run of nine straight wins in the 2013 season.
Vettel won every race between August 25 at Spa and November 24 at Interlagos to break the record.
The 2013 season wrote Vettel’s name in the history books, also tying the record for the most wins in a single season (12, tied with fellow German Michael Schumacher).
This season is one of many examples of why Vettel is one of Red Bull’s greatest ever drivers.
1. 2010 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix – Youngest Ever World Champion
2010 saw Vettel crowned the youngest ever F1 world champion at just 23 years of age.
He entered the final race of the season third in the standings, 15 points behind championship leader Fernando Alonso and nine points behind teammate Mark Webber.
But Vettel pulled off a stunning victory in Abu Dhabi to clinch the World Drivers’ Championship in his fourth season.
In the race, Webber decided to take an early pit stop, causing Alonso to react and pit four laps later. But that saw the two championship contenders stuck in traffic behind slower cars, while Vettel stayed out and extended his lead.
When Vettel eventually made his pit stop, he re-joined the race in the lead, far ahead of the traffic jam that had ensnared Alonso and Webber.
For the vast majority of the race, Alonso found himself stuck directly behind Vitaly Petrov’s Renault, and ultimately finished seventh ahead of Webber in eighth, meaning Vettel took the title.