David Coulthard cannot see Sebastian Vettel wanting to return F1 unless the former Red Bull driver is in a “delusional space” given his form in his final years.

Vettel made history with Red Bull, becoming the first driver to win his first four World Championships in consecutive years between 2010 and 2013 – a feat only matched by Max Verstappen in F1 2024.

Sebastian Vettel told the ‘the stopwatch doesn’t lie’

However, a disappointing 2014 campaign in which he was beaten by new team-mate Daniel Ricciardo saw the German swap blue for red after signing a multi-year agreement with Ferrari.

Seeking to break the Scuderia’s title drought, Vettel came up short to Mercedes and most notably Lewis Hamilton, thrice on the championship podium in his six seasons but never able to cross the line.

A woeful P13 in his final campaign with the Scuderia in 2020, when he was trounced by team-mate Charles Leclerc, again saw Vettel saying goodbye to a team, this time moving to Aston Martin.

But while he beat Lance Stroll in their two years as team-mates, it was by no means the results that Vettel wanted which led to his motivation being questioned before the German made the call to hang up his helmet.

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Last season, though, there were rumours that he could make a comeback with Mercedes to replace the Ferrari-bound Hamilton.

Asked if was open to a return, Vettel told Sky F1: “Well, potentially I am because I haven’t got a drive, but the question is: am I looking for one? I think it depends on the package.

“I retired from Formula 1 not to come back, but I also did say that you never know. So I think it still stands.”

“You never know where life is taking you,” he added, “so maybe it takes me back behind the wheel, maybe it doesn’t.”

He went on to reveal that while he “had conversations” with Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff, they were “not really about the seat” although they did “speak about the whole situation in short as well.”

But as the months went on, the speculation about Vettel faded into the background before Mercedes confirmed Andrea Kimi Antonelli at the Italian Grand Prix.

Coulthard, speaking to Lucas Stewart on his YouTube channel, shared his thoughts on Vettel making a comeback should the opportunity present itself.

“No!” was his emphatic response.

Pressed on whether he thinks Vettel wants to return, the Scot replied: “Only if he’s living in a delusional space where he thinks that having taken a couple of years out, he’ll be quicker.

“But the facts are, the stopwatch doesn’t lie and he wasn’t delivering the lap times at the end of his career.”

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