Shock Vettel return opens up after major twist at F1 team

Formula 1 in 2024 started off slowly, well for everyone outside of Red Bull - who raced into a massive early advantage, but not many could have predicted the twists and turns that have occurred since.

Or even before it started really, with 2024 producing a wild internal war at Red Bull with Christian Horner at the centre of it right before the cars had even been unveiled for the season.

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That came just days after the bombshell news that Lewis Hamilton had announced he would ditch Mercedes and join Ferrari for 2025, in one of the most sensational F1 stories of all time.

Adrian Newey and Jonathan Wheatley will depart Red Bull after decades of service between them. Charles Leclerc and Lewis Hamilton have produced home grand prix wins that would tick many boxes of a Hollywood scriptwriter.

Almost buried beneath all that chaos - a surprise genuine championship challenge could emerge after the summer break to threaten Red Bull, and maybe even Max Verstappen, when the F1 circus returns for the Dutch Grand Prix.

The whole point of summarising all of the above into a few paragraphs is to offer a reminder that no matter how many times you think something is unthinkable in F1, you really can get caught with a sucker-punch from nowhere.

So that brings us to the 2025 grid and how it is shaping up as we enter the end of 'silly season'. In theory, there are four spots left on the grid - or potentially five if you include the threat of Sergio Perez perhaps being axed at the end of 2024 after a torrid year and just months after extending his contract (a double unexpected turn).

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One name appears to have been lost in the shuffle in recent months though - and that is four-time world champion Sebastian Vettel and his F1 comeback that was never quite ruled out, but has gone very quiet since the early season rumours of him being parachuted into Mercedes for 2025. But what are the chances of the German making an extraordinary return? GPFans looks at his potential options still, in theory, on the table.

Mercedes

The original thought was for Vettel to come in and replace Hamilton for 2025, but those rumours have gone very quiet in recent months to the point that it seems highly unlikely that this is now a serious consideration.

For Mercedes, it appears the favourite remains an Andrea Kimi Antonelli promotion from within the team's academy, while it appears team principal Toto Wolff is still keeping his hand in over any chance of a sensational swoop of Verstappen from a highly volatile Red Bull. Either way - the door looks shut here for Vettel.

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Red Bull

On paper, it's not even workable. Verstappen and Perez are both tied down at Red Bull, yet the team are in a bizarre position where both may not be driving for them this time next season. This won't happen without a huge amount of contractual wrangling, but Verstappen's Red Bull frustration and Perez's nosediving form could mean both of them depart the team.

Either way, this opens up the door for Vettel. His past success and relationship with Red Bull will ensure he is a comfortable fit. Should he replace Verstappen amid a Mercedes swoop, it's good emergency cover at the very least for Red Bull. If he replaces Perez, he could provide the front running pace needed while maybe being slightly off the times of the Dutchman. If both go, then his emergency placement in either role makes even more sense.

Audi/Sauber

The real wildcard in the pack. Wheatley's shock Red Bull departure for a role of Audi team principal now means the idea of an F1 return with Audi/Sauber could hold slightly more credence. Nico Hulkenberg is the only driver confirmed at the moment for 2025, but with all due respect to the German driver, Audi need a real statement signing to get them firing, and Wheatley could help pull that off given his previous ties with Vettel at Red Bull.

Whether that is something Vettel would want is another question, but the possibility may have increased since the announcement of Wheatley. Don't forget as well that Vettel made his F1 debut with the team in their BMW guise back in 2007 - so there is a good chance positive relationships exist within the setup.

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VCARB

Back to where it (nearly) all started. Apart from the one race at BMW, Vettel's early career was spent at Red Bull's sister team, then known as Toro Rosso, where he won his first race at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix. However, a move back to the team curiously doesn't make much sense now for both parties.

Red Bull management want the VCARB team to go back to its more junior roots and that of course doesn't mean running a recently retired 37-year-old. There is a lot of juggling to see who ends up where in the Red Bull system for 2025, but among Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, Daniel Ricciardo and the safe bet of Yuki Tsunoda sticking around in one of the two teams - it doesn't make a whole lot of sense to find a spot for Vettel in the sister team.

Alpine

Pretty much a non-starter this one. Vettel walked away from a mid-running team in Aston Martin at the end of 2022 and it's hard to see why he would want to return to another that looks slightly worse off given the uncertainty that hangs around the team and its future direction after a spate of recent exits.

Alpine already have Pierre Gasly signed, and might too benefit from giving youth a chance rather than taking a punt on Vettel.

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